Conservative Republicans Are Calling Out #MoscowMitch... On TV... In Kentucky

A group of conservative #NeverTrumpers ran the above ad-- or a 30 second version of it-- in DC (waste of time) and Kentucky (not a waste of time) this week. The ad was produced and paid for by Republicans for the Rule of Law, which calls itself "a group of life-long Republicans dedicated to defending the institutions of our republic and upholding the rule of law. We are fighting to make sure that the laws apply equally to everyone, from the average citizen to the president of the United States. We believe in fidelity to the Constitution, transparency, and the independence of prosecutors from politics." I suspect they'd impeach Trump before Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer would.

So who are they? The umbrella group is called Defending Democracy Together and this is their "about us" statement:

“We believe in American exceptionalism,” reads the opening line of the 2016 Republican Party Platform. “We believe the United States of America is unlike any other nation on earth.”

Yet today, the Republican Party finds itself entertaining some of the same unsettling nativist and authoritarian impulses that characterized Europe throughout the 20th century. These ideals are antithetical to what it means to be a Republican, and what it means to be American.

Defending Democracy Together is a 501c4 advocacy organization created by lifelong conservatives and Republicans-- many of whom have served in Republican administrations and write for conservative publications. We are dedicated to defending America’s democratic norms, values, and institutions and fighting for consistent conservative principles like rule of law, free trade, and expanding legal immigration.

Through research, education and grassroots activism, Defending Democracy Together is fighting abuses of power that threaten to undermine the integrity of U.S. elections, federal agencies, and the Republican Party as a whole. We aim to elevate voices across the conservative political spectrum who advocate for these principles. We hope Americans on the Left, Right, and Center will join us.

Their board includes William Kristol, which is why they usually sound exactly like the Bullwark website he edits, Mona Charen, Linda Chavez, former New Jersey Gov. Christy Todd Whitman, former Congressman Bob Inglis (R-SC), Jennifer Horn (former chair of the New Hampshire Republican Party), Sarah Longwell (past national chair of the Long Cabin Republicans), prominent dermatologist Andy Zwick, and Chris Gagin, former chair of the Belmont County (Ohio) Republican Party chair, who resigned over Trump's assessing incident with Putin in Helsinki.

The ad ran on Morning Joe and Fox & Friends and it is meant to help pressure McConnell into allowing a vote on the election security bill that he's blocking. It was passed by the House. When Joe Scarborough first gave him the Moscow Mitch nickname last week, he noted that McConnell "is aiding and abetting Vladimir Putin’s ongoing attempts to subvert American democracy, according to the Republican FBI, CIA, DNI, intel committee... all Republicans are all saying Russia is subverting American democracy and Moscow Mitch won’t even let the Senate take a vote on it. That is un-American."