The Lincoln Project shared an attack advertisement video on Saturday framing Republican Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado as President Donald Trump‘s “yes” man.
The 30-second video consists of a monologue spoken over photos and clips of the Colorado Senator.
“People asked us if we’d do an attack ad against Cory Gardner. We were thinking about it and then he wrote the script for us,” the voiceover begins.
It then cuts to a clip of Gardner taken during a debate against former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper in the state’s Senate race.
“Do you believe President Trump is a moral and ethical man Mr. Gardner?” the moderator asked. “Yes,” Gardner replied.
“Thank you Cory, for making our jobs easy,” the voiceover concluded.
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Newsweek reached out to Senator Cory Gardner’s representatives for comment.
Gardner and Hickenlooper’s debate took place on October 13. After Gardner affirmed his belief that Trump is an ethical and moral man, the senator added that he wished the president was “more specific in his communications with the American people.”
The remarks were in direct contrast to a statement that he made four years ago, in October 2016, following the release of the controversial Access Hollywood tape and before Trump was elected president. At the time, Gardner accused Trump of showing “disdain for dignity unbecoming of the presidency” and refused to vote for him.
Hickenlooper used Gardner’s remark at the debate as ammunition to attack him.
“Coloradans watching last night’s final debate were appalled but not surprised by Cory Gardner’s latest cowardly refusal to utter a single word of criticism about Donald Trump,” Hickenlooper spokesperson Alyssa Roberts said. “The biggest joke of the night was Cory Gardner claiming he works for Colorado—we all know he sold us out for Trump years ago.”
During the Colorado debate, Gardner also urged Trump to unambiguously commit to a peaceful transition of power if he loses on November 3. “The president should be crystal clear. Every single person in this country should be crystal clear. There will be a peaceful transition,” he said.
In the latest Morning Consult poll, released Wednesday, Hickenlooper led Gardner by 8 percentage points, with 50 percent of support among likely voters in the state.
The Lincoln Project frequently releases videos and messages on social media to criticize Trump and his Republican allies. The group’s mission is to “defeat President Trump and Trumpism at the ballot box.”
