Democratic Senate candidate Richard Painter sent out a tweet on Wednesday asking what the point of the Revolutionary War with Britain was since the United States now has a president "guilty of treason" and doesn't have a single-payer health care system.
"What was the point of the Revolution if subjects of the British Crown get single payer health care and university education at a fraction of what it costs us and we are stuck with a President guilty of treason, bribery and other crimes, and a Congress unwilling to get rid of him?" Painter tweeted.
What was the point of the Revolution if subjects of the British Crown get single payer health care and university education at a fraction of what it costs us and we are stuck with a President guilty of treason, bribery and other crimes, and a Congress unwilling to get rid of him?
— Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) May 16, 2018
The Revolutionary War was when American colonies fought for their independence against the British. Painter's tweet suggests life as a British citizen is preferable to that of an American citizen, and moreover, that if the American revolution hadn't occurred and the U.S. hadn't come to be, British colonists in America would enjoy the same benefits as those in the U.K. The American colonies protested against taxation without representation, not over single-payer health care or education.
Painter's claim that President Donald Trump is guilty of treason, bribery and other crimes is unfounded. Trump has not been charged with any crime.
Painter was the White House chief ethics counsel under President George W. Bush and a former Republican. He announced he switched parties and is currently running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Minnesota. Painter is running against current Sen. Tina Smith (D., Minn.), who was appointed to the position after former Sen. Al Franken resigned following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.
In an interview on MSNBC, Painter repeatedly would not say if he believed the women who have made accusations of sexual misconduct against Franken.
Painter frequently appears on cable news and is a vocal critic of Trump. In one appearance, he accused the National Rifle Association of being a "protection racket" preventing Republican lawmakers from addressing gun violence.
The Senate candidate is the vice chair of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), an organization formerly headed by left-wing activist David Brock and an approved funding group of the progressive Democracy Alliance.