Conservative Senator Rand Paul blasted Donald Trump over his endorsement of former Michigan Republican Rep. Mike Rogers in his run for the Senate, The Hill reported.
In a March 11 post on X, the Kentucky Senator described Rogers, the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, as “the worst Deep State candidate” in the 2024 election.
Senator Paul accused Rogers of being a “never Trumper” and described him as a card-carrying “member of the spy state” that has sought to “destroy Trump.”
Paul wondered who advised Trump to endorse Rogers in the Senate race and jokingly suggested that Trump would next endorse John Bolton.
Trump announced in a March 11 Truth Social post that Rogers had his “Complete and Total Endorsement,” claiming that the former Intelligence Committee chairman would work with Trump to secure the border and strengthen the military.
The 60-year-old Rogers served as a Michigan Rep. from 2001 until 2015. After retiring from the House, Rogers joined CNN as a national security expert.
As chairman of the Intelligence Committee from 2011 until 2015, Rogers supported expanding domestic surveillance under FISA and fought against efforts to limit the intel community from collecting information on Americans.
Senator Steve Daines, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate GOP’s fundraising arm, has also endorsed Rogers for the open Michigan Senate seat currently held by retiring Democrat Debbie Stabenow.
According to The Hill, Daines has been working closely with Donald Trump to prevent the former president from making bad endorsements of Senate candidates in this election cycle.
Currently, Rogers is facing former Republican Rep. Peter Meijer in the Michigan Senate primary. However, Meijer would have a difficult time in the state given his 2021 vote to impeach Trump over the January 6 riot.
A poll conducted late last month had Rogers leading Meijer by 16 points.
