Former Reagan staffer Charles Fried wrote an op-ed for CNN Tuesday that heavily criticizes presidential nominee Donald Trump on his conservative credentials, even though Fried has a history of donating to Democratic campaigns.
Fried joins a list of those who claim to have strong conservative credentials, while publicly condemning the Republican nominee. A quick glance through Fried’s donor history on campaign finance website Open Secrets reveals Fried donated to some top Democrats, some of whom are running against Republican senators this election season.
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren received a campaign donation in 2011. Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig received multiple donations during his 2015 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. His most recent donation went to New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan who is currently running against GOP incumbent Sen. Kelly Ayotte.
Fried started his article discussing what he knew about former President Ronald Reagan. “He never once told people how smart he was — he was smart and secure enough to think it was to his advantage to let people underestimate him.”
Fried then attacked Trump, saying the Republican nominee’s promises are “unbelievable.”
“Trump tells us that we need to rebuild our schools, roads, bridges, airports; so does Hillary Clinton. But he is going to cut everyone’s taxes in order to pay for it. I believe her; I don’t believe him because what he promises is simply unbelievable,” Fried continued. “This is a man about whom the best you can say is that he doesn’t believe anything he says. After that, it’s downhill all the way.”
The former Reagan staffer asserted that Trump is a candidate that appeals to fringe interests, protest that conservatives are painted with the same brush due to Trump becoming the Republican nominee. “Trump was an enthusiastic birther and has gone on to embrace every sinister paranoid fantasy since.”
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.