Evan McMullin Takes a Jab at Newt Gingrich's Apparent "Drain the Swamp" Misspeak

By Susan Wright | 4:00 PM on December 22, 2016

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If nothing else, Evan McMullin, the independent conservative who stepped forward in August 2016 to launch an exciting, yet unsuccessful bid to block Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton from reaching the requisite 270 Electoral College votes, is giving the president-elect and his toadies no wiggle room for error.

Earlier this week, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich announced that his liege, Trump, had no interest in continuing on with the sloganeering of “Drain the swamp!”

Trump put the lid on the “Lock her up!” calls last month.

Said Gingrich, who apparently approved of the swamp draining call-to-action:

“[Trump] now says [the phrase] was cute, but he doesn’t want to use it anymore,” he said on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”

“[It] vividly illustrates the problem, because all people in this city who are the alligators are going to hate the swamp being drain,” Gingrich added of how the phrase describes Washington, D.C. “But, you know, he is my leader, and if he decides to drop the swamp and the alligator I will drop the swamp and the alligator.”

Trump fired back Wednesday, tweeting: “Someone incorrectly stated that the phrase ‘DRAIN THE SWAMP’ was no longer being used by me. Actually, we will always be trying to DTS.”

OOPS.

That’s embarrassing. Our Jim Jamitis covered the humiliation earlier in the day.

It was really public, too.

“I talked this morning with President-elect Trump, and he reminded me he likes draining the swamp” Gingrich continued.

“I mischaracterized it the other day,” the former House Speaker and 2012 Republican presidential candidate added. “He intends to drain the swamp.

McMullin wasted no time in pointing out Gingrich’s apparent problem.

Newt is learning the public prostration required of authoritarian loyalists. The dear leader often changes his mind but he's always correct. https://t.co/t8RiI1q9aj

— Evan McMullin (@EvanMcMullin) December 22, 2016

I’m with Evan on this. There was such haste by Gingrich to make up for something that should be considered nothing, that those with clearer heads really do need to be on guard for those things that some (falsely) believe could never happen in America.