Former Republican lawmaker announces he’s leaving GOP, tears into Trump

Former GOP Rep. Charles Djou (Hawaii) announced he is leaving the Republican Party.

Djou — who served in Congress briefly after winning a special election in 2010 — said he is leaving the GOP because he is not willing to abandon his principles.

Djou in a piece published in the Honolulu Civil Beat took aim at President Trump and criticized Republicans for failing to call him out.

{mosads}”I can no longer stand with a Republican Party that is led by a man I firmly believe is taking the party of Lincoln in a direction I fundamentally disagree with, and a party that is unwilling to stand up to him,” Djou wrote.

Djou added that he has long believed the country’s strength lies in its diversity and not its “exclusion or isolation.”

“It disturbs me that the Republican Party under President Donald Trump is now defined as a party hostile to immigration,” he wrote.

“We are the leader of the free world, not because we are great (or need to be great again), but because we are good.”

He accused Trump of exhibiting behavior “indicative of a man ignorant of honor and true sacrifice” and criticized the president for his attacks on various GOP senators, adding that his tweets are immature and “provide real harm to the stability of our democracy.”

“Most of all, I have long believed that our government leaders must lead by example,” he wrote. “Character counts.” 

Djou also said he is disappointed that many Republicans have failed to push back against Trump.

“I am most disappointed by the failure of the GOP to clearly and consistently condemn Trump’s childish behavior. Sadly today, too many Republicans either applaud Trump’s tirades or greet them with silent acceptance,” he wrote.

“This leads to an implicit ratification by the GOP of Trump’s undisciplined, uninformed, and unfocused leadership as a core part of the Republican Party. This is something I cannot accept and will not be a part of.”