Retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) went off on Senate hopeful Ken Paxton after President Donald Trump endorsed him just ahead of his primary runoff election.
In an interview on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday, the North Carolina Republican held nothing back in his commentary on Paxton — accusing CNN anchor Jake Tapper of an understatement when he referred to Paxton as “ethically-challenged.”
“To call Paxton ethically challenged is to call Jeffrey Dahmer suffering from an eating disorder,” Tillis told Tapper. “This guy is an empty suit and will do us no service by being in the U.S. Congress. I hope that Texans realize how tough [incumbent Senator] John Cornyn is, how pro-Second Amendment he is, how pro-limited government he is, how pro-America first he is. And when they go to the polls on Tuesday, I hope that they know that they have got a great American who deserves reelection, and the other guy is going to be nothing but an anchor on our conference for as long as he’s in the U.S. Senate.”
Paxton — who has faced numerous scandals over the years in connection with alleged bribery, fraud and other misconduct — received the endorsement of President Trump on Tuesday, which has made him a prohibitive favorite to win Tuesday’s runoff primary election in the Lone Star state.
“Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate,” Trump said. He added, “Ken Paxton has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next United States Senator from the Great State of Texas.”
The retiring Tillis, who has repeatedly criticized by Trump as a “RINO,” was asked by Tapper whether he and several of his other departing colleagues now feel uninhibited as they conclude their terms.
“Is there going to be something of a ‘you only live once, YOLO’ caucus of Republicans on their way out the door that President Trump has helped pressure and instigate?” Tapper asked.
“I try to tell everybody, ‘folks, if you’re not running for reelection, then that one filter that you need to make sure your words are measured so that the Democrats can’t use it against you and maybe some Republicans, you have just got to have that extra filter,’” Tillis said. “And I’m telling you, it’s great not having it, so that you can you can get the same point across, but now you can use unambiguous words. And I’m being unambiguous on Paxton. He is a failure. He doesn’t deserve to be in the U.S. Senate.”
Watch above, via CNN.
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