Retiring Republican Rep. Ryan Costello said President Trump was wrong to blame lack of loyalty to him as reasoning why several Republican lawmakers lost their election bids on Tuesday.
On MSNBC Thursday, Costello (R-Pa), a lawmaker from the suburbs northwest of Philadelphia, said many of the people who lost were "the folks on the front lines who were putting up the toughest votes in order to get the legislative victories that this president has had."
Host Craig Melvin noted that Costello also blasted Trump on social media, where he wrote that "to bite [your] lip more times you'd care to, to disagree and separate from POTUS on principle and civility in [your] campaign -- to lose [because] of POTUS and have him p--- on you angers me to my core."
To deal w harassment & filth spewed at GOP MOC’s in tough seats every day for 2 yrs, bc of POTUS; to bite ur lip more times you’d care to; to disagree & separate from POTUS on principle & civility in ur campaign; to lose bc of POTUS & have him piss on u. Angers me to my core.
— Ryan Costello (@RyanCostello) November 7, 2018
Costello said it is unclear why Trump would attack people who were on the "offensive line" in the GOP, saying "things aren't quite adding up."
Trump called out defeated Republican Reps. Carlos Curbelo of Florida, Mike Coffman of Colorado, Peter Roskam of Illinois, Mia Love of Utah and New Jersey U.S. Senate candidate Bob Hugin as lawmakers who kept their distance from him during the campaign.
"We had some who decided 'let's stay away'," Trump said Wednesday. "They did very poorly."
Costello said that in Pennsylvania, where Democrats like incoming Reps. Susan Wild (D-Lehigh) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Chester) took seats previously held by Republicans, some voters saw Trump as effectively on the ballot in races that had little to do with him.
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Costello said that in the Philadelphia suburbs, several long-tenured GOP state and local lawmakers lost their re-election bids because many voters said they're "not voting for any Republicans."
Great point. The PASupreme Ct rigged the map and 4 of the Justices who railroaded thru a politically corrupt decision should be impeached in order to restore integrity to the PA judicial system. https://t.co/HZUbMaVWZf
— Ryan Costello (@RyanCostello) November 7, 2018
"They would have done worse," Costello said, adding that to see it otherwise would be "ignoring reality."
Costello previously said he was "disgusted" by Trump's remarks.
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