Democratic Congressman-elect Pat Ryan slammed former President Donald Trump as “essentially traitorous” late Wednesday over the classified document saga at the center of the FBI’s raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this month.
Ryan took aim at the 45th president during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Alex Wagner Tonight” — one day after his big special election win over Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro in New York’s 19th District.
“We are not afraid to call out Donald Trump as someone who, I believe, is essentially traitorous at this point,” said Ryan, referring to the federal probe into boxloads of documents that Trump took with him when he left the White House.
Rep.-elect Pat Ryan won a competitive special election race against Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
“I had a top secret clearance. I was an Army officer. If I had done what he did, I would’ve been in jail, 100%. No questions asked.”
Ryan’s remarks came after host Alex Wagner had asked him about the “existential threat posed by Donald Trump” and the frequency with which the Democrat brought up the former president’s name throughout his campaign in the swing district.
“That has certainly been part of it,” Ryan said of the ongoing investigation into whether Trump improperly handled classified documents.
The Democrat, who was considered an underdog in the 19th District, went on to address other points of emphasis throughout his campaign, including abortion rights and gun control.
“The polling that we saw a few days ago [shows] that threats to democracy are now top-of-the-line,” he said before ripping the Supreme Court over a pair of June rulings that overturned Roe v. Wade and state rules restricting concealed carry permits.
Rep.-elect Pat Ryan accused Republicans of weakening the “guardrails of democracy.” REUTERS/Marco Bello
Rep.-elect Pat Ryan branded former President Donald Trump a “traitor.” Robert Miller
Rep.-elect Pat Ryan said he “would’ve been in jail” if he attempted to hide classified documents like former President Donald Trump is accused of. MSNBC / Twitter“And it’s this cumulative effect of, OK, in 48 hours you put more assault weapons on the street, you ripped away reproductive freedom, and access to abortion,” he said. “Then you dismantled the EPA, we are hearing more about January 6th, we see what’s continuing to happen with the president. It’s just guardrails of democracy increasingly being hit, and that’s a wake-up call for folks.”
Ryan, the Ulster County executive, was battling Molinaro to replace former Rep. Antonio Delgado, who resigned after becoming lieutenant governor this past spring.
