Bush presidency officials get behind Biden

Alarmed by the conduct of US President Donald Trump in office, hundreds of Republican officials who once worked in the administration of George W. Bush, the 43rd president, are said to be set to endorse Trump’s Democratic rival, Joe Biden, for president.

Former members of Team Bush have formed a political action committee, or super PAC, called 43 Alumni for Joe Biden, which said it counts as members former Cabinet-level appointees and other senior people from the Bush White House.

The 43 Alumni group launched on Wednesday with a Facebook page and a website (43alumniforjoebiden.com) bearing the slogan: “We worked for W. We support Joe.”

The group said it plans to release “testimonial videos” praising Biden from high-profile Republicans and said it intends to hold get-out-thevote efforts in several swing states.

The group said it was not yet ready to name all of its members and donors, but that it will provide a list of its initial donors to the Federal Election Commission by October.

Members of a super PAC are forbidden by law from working with or communicating with the Biden campaign, but they can raise unlimited amounts of money, run ads or hold events to support the candidate.

“Principles matter more than politics,” the group’s website reads. “That’s why we, a group of alumni who served President Bush, and other Republican presidents, governors, and members of Congress, support Joe Biden for president.”

Notably, none of the promised major stars of the Republican firmament have come forward yet to publicly support 43 Alumni, but another group of conservatives has brought together some familiar names.

The Lincoln Project is run by Republican strategists Steve

Schmidt, John Weaver and Rick Wilson with the support of Republican lawyer George Conway, the husband of Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway. The Lincoln Project has got attention for targeted political ads it created and aired only in Washington with the admitted goal of taunting the president.

Two other “never-Trump” Republican groups backing Biden include the Right Side PAC, which calls Trump an “existential threat”, and a group called Republican Voters Against Trump, which said it is launching a $10 million ad campaign in key battleground states.

The Biden campaign has so far declined to comment. Bush’s office has been informed about the group, but the former president is not involved and has so far not signaled his approval.

Some recent polls show Trump trailing Biden by double digits.