Michael Caputo eyes congressional bid

Former Trump campaign aide Michael Caputo is eyeing a bid for Congress if a key ally of the president is forced to leave office.

“I’ve never before wanted to run for public office, but I’m considering this seriously,” Caputo told Politico’s Playbook newsletter.

“If Rep. Collins will not run, or cannot win, I cannot allow this seat to go to someone who has not supported the president 100 percent, from the beginning, in their bones,” he continued.

{mosads}Politico reported Wednesday that Caputo is eyeing a run for Congress in New York’s 27th Congressional District, a seat currently held by Rep. Chris Collins (R).

Collins, one of President Trump’s closest allies on Capitol Hill, has been under investigation for insider trading since shortly before his successful reelection to the House last year. Though he rejected a plea deal offered by prosecutors last fall, his future in Congress remains uncertain. 

Caputo previously served on the communications team for Trump’s successful 2016 bid, and has been active as a surrogate for the Trump administration on cable news shows following the election.

He left Trump’s presidential campaign in June of 2016 after sending a celebratory tweet following the resignation of Corey Lewandowski, the president’s first campaign manager, which read simply: “Ding dong the witch is dead!”

“I regret sending out a tweet today alluding to the firing of Corey Lewandowski,” he wrote at the time to campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

“In hindsight, that was too exuberant a reaction to this personnel move,” he continued in 2016. “I know this is a distraction from the kind of campaign you want to run, so I’m resigning my position as director of communications for caucus operations at the 2016 Republican Convention. Let’s make this immediate.”