Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Denver news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Des Moines news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Minneapolis-St. Paul news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Tampa Bay news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Charlotte news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Gage Skidmore / Flickr cc
Mark Sanford, back in Congress after an infamous sex scandal while governor of South Carolina, unleashed a series of attacks on Trump in an interview with Politico's Tim Alberta.
- Sanford says Trump has "fanned the flames of intolerance," emphasizing that the president has repeatedly misled the public with his false account of events — most recently the national murder rate and the media's coverage of terrorist attacks. "Truth matters. Not hyperbole, not wild suggestion, but actual truth."
- Trump doesn't impress him. "... At some level he represents the antithesis, or the undoing, of everything I thought I knew about politics, preparation and life."
- The president's lack of transparency is extremely concerning. "[It's] something our country cannot afford," said Sanford.
- Many "rank-and-file" members of the GOP are afraid to criticize Trump, as he's someone who "has a proven record of taking people down." At first Sanford had hope for Paul Ryan, who pushed back on Trump during the election campaign, but was disappointed when the House Speaker resigned his fight once the election results came in. "At the end of the day, radio silence is not sustainable in being true to yourself," Sanford added.