The Nebraska Republican Party called on state Sen. John McCollister to quit the party after he accused his fellow Republicans of “enabling white supremacy” by staying silent on President Donald Trump’s hateful rhetoric.
McCollister, a lifelong Republican, made headlines Monday when he condemned members of his party in a series of tweets for failing to speak out against “a Republican president who continually stokes racist fears in his base.”
The Nebraska Republican Party’s executive director, Ryan Hamilton, responded hours later — not by denouncing white supremacy, but by offering to help McCollister register as a Democrat.
“John McCollister has been telegraphing for years that he has little if nothing in common with the Republican voters in his district by consistently advocating for higher taxes, restrictions on Americans’ Second Amendment rights, and the pro-abortion lobby,” Hamilton said in a statement.
“His latest false statement about Republicans should come as no surprise to anyone who is paying attention,” he continued, “and we’re happy he has finally shed all pretense of being a conservative.”
McCollister said Tuesday that he has no plans to abandon the Republican Party.
“In light of my recent comments, the Nebraska Republican Party issued a statement,” he tweeted. “Did they join me in identifying and condemning obvious racism and duplicity inside of our party? Sadly no.”
“This current version of the Republican Party does not resemble the party I once knew,” he continued. “I reject the notion that ALL Republicans agree with the rhetoric coming out of the Trump administration. I will continue to speak out and encourage my fellow Republicans to do so as well.”
McCollister’s tweets on Monday followed multiple recent mass shootings in the U.S., including one in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday and one in Gilroy, California, days earlier. Both shootings are being investigated as domestic terrorism.
“The Republican Party is enabling white supremacy in our country,” he wrote. “We have a Republican president who continually stokes racist fears in his base. He calls certain countries ‘sh*tholes,’ tells women of color to ‘go back’ to where they came from and lies more than he tells the truth.”
“When the history books are written, I refuse to be someone who said nothing,” he said.