White nationalist launches new pro-Trump ad in Utah targeting Evan McMullin's mom
A white nationalist leader who has funded several ads supporting Donald Trump has a new robocall in Utah targeting Evan McMullin, the upstart who could stop a Trump victory in the Beehive State.
McMullin poses a serious threat to Trump in Utah, where voters, many of whom are Mormon, have never fully warmed to the celebrity businessman's candidacy.
The robocall beginning Monday seeks to sway Utah's conservative religious electorate by highlighting McMullin's personal life; after his parents divorced, his mother married a woman.
"Evan has two mommies," the ad says. "His mother is a lesbian, married to another woman. Evan is OK with that."
The ads also suggest McMullin is a "closet homosexual."
McMullin, 40, has openly discussed his family life, telling the Salt Lake Tribune that he respects his mother's new marriage. The CIA-operative-turned-congressional-aide also spoke about his own desire to start a family.
"My greatest aspiration is to be a husband and father," he told the paper.
"As far as my mother's marriage is concerned, I believe in the sanctity of traditional marriage. It is an important part of my faith," McMullin said. "My mother has a different view. That is OK. I love her very much, and she is one of my best friends."
The ads are being self-funded by William Johnson, a Los Angeles attorney and leader of the American Freedom Party, a white nationalist organization, and a PAC that has supported Trump throughout the primary and general election campaign.
White nationalists have become energized by Trump's candidacy, believing that he is their best opportunity to bring their supremacist views to mainstream politics.
Trump initially did not reject support from David Duke and other nationalist leaders, and his campaign has engaged with them. Ultimately, though, Trump disavowed their backing.
Trump warned over the weekend that McMullin is a "puppet" who "takes votes away from me" in Utah as the face of the "Never Trump" movement.
McMullin responded by bashing Trump on Twitter.
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