Presidential races

McMullin: I’ve gotten death threats from Trump backers

Independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin says he has received death threats from Donald Trump supporters.

{mosads}”Trump supporters have attacked me because of my faith. They’ve attacked my service,” McMullin told CNN on Tuesday.

“We’ve even received some death threats from these white supremacists, even recently, overnight. They’ve attacked my family.”

McMullin, a former House GOP staffer who is seeking the support of conservatives who don’t believe Trump is fit for the White House, said it’s no surprise Trump’s supporters would act like this, given the GOP nominee’s own actions. 

“Donald Trump himself has bragged about sexually assaulting women and attacked people for the color of their skin and their faith,” he said. “I mean, this is the Republican nominee and none of this should surprise any of us.”

McMullin, who is a Mormon, has surged in support in Utah, imperiling Trump’s grip on a state that has gone red in the last 12 presidential elections. Trump holds a slim six-point lead over both McMullin and Hillary Clinton in the state, according to a polling average. The GOP nominee has won Utah by 20+ points the last five elections.

A white nationalist supporting Trump has launched a series of robocalls in Utah seeking to frame McMullin as gay.

William Daniel Johnson, who identifies himself as a “white nationalist” during the call, is looking to steer voters in Utah away from McMullin by questioning the sexuality of both him and his mother. 
 
Trump’s campaign on Monday condemned the call.
 
McMullin said he wasn’t surprised when he heard reports of the robocall.

“This is exactly the narrative and the approach that the Donald Trump campaign has had,” McMullin said on CNN. “I just thought, well of course, this is more of the same.”