COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, probably the most outstanding Republican within the race to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown subsequent 12 months, has fired certainly one of his high aides after social media posts surfaced by which the staffer criticized Donald Trump.
LaRose‘s office confirmed press secretary Rob Nichols’s departure on Wednesday. A longtime Republican operative within the state, Nichols held the same place with then-Republican Gov. John Kasich earlier than he ran for president and have become a vocal Trump detractor.
The abrupt dismissal adopted Trump political allies on X, previously Twitter, discovering and posting a cache of outdated tweets from Nichols’ private account that took goal on the former president, together with for his impeachments, indictments and look.
In one tweet, Nichols is quoted replying to a Trump supporter: “it’s been an incredible indictments race to the bottom for your guys and hunter biden…the daytona 500 of felonies and misdemeanors.”
His interim alternative, Mary Cianciolo, confirmed that Nichols now not works for LaRose, however mentioned she couldn’t remark additional on a personnel matter.
Reached by cellphone, Nichols declined touch upon the matter. He had deleted the offending account earlier than the tweets have been delivered to mild.
The dismissal comes only a month after LaRose joined what is predicted to be some of the carefully watched contests of 2024 and one the place Trump’s endorsement might once more show essential – because it did final 12 months.
After holding out for months, Trump endorsed enterprise capitalist and memoirist JD Vance for the seat vacated by the GOP’s Rob Portman in 2022, serving to Vance handily beat a crowded subject to win the GOP major after which the seat.
A earlier critic of Trump himself, LaRose endorsed him for president in 2024 every week after coming into the Senate race. That marked a reverse in place from 2020, when he mentioned it was inappropriate to take political sides while you have been working elections.
LaRose faces state Sen. Matt Dolan and Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno for the Republican Senate nomination. Dolan, whose household owns baseball’s Cleveland Guardians, has distanced himself from Trump, whereas Moreno – additionally a previous critic – has seen Trump encourage his run.
Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com