Al Schmidt, the lone Republican on Philadelphia’s elections board, will head the Committee of 70. He said Trump’s attacks and threats from his followers did not drive his decision.
Al Schmidt, the lone Republican on Philadelphia’s election board and one who staunchly defended the integrity of the 2020 presidential vote, will resign in January to take over as the next president and CEO of the good-government watchdog group The Committee of Seventy.
Schmidt, singled out by former President Donald Trump for attacks, said Tuesday that he decided to not seek a fourth four-year term after winning reelection in 2019. Trump’s attacks, and the threats from his followers that followed, did not drive the decision, he said.
Trump went after Schmidt anew on Tuesday after The Inquirer reported on Schmidt’s new job. In an email, Trump referred to Schmidt as a “RINO,” an insult that means Republican In Name Only, and said his departure from the election post was “great news.” Trump, who often issues several emails a day pushing false claims about the 2020 election, called Schmidt “a disaster on the massive election fraud and irregularities which took place in Philadelphia, one of the most corrupt election places in the United States.”
Part of Schmidt’s new job: combating lies about the election.
“I’m really excited about this opportunity, especially because it will allow me to continue to fight against the election disinformation and misinformation that is threatening our democracy,”...
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