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Morning Joe Co-Host Joe Scarborough Is Leaving the Republican Party

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Joe Scarborough is leaving the Republican Party to become an independent, he announced Tuesday.

“You have to ask yourself, what in fact is the Republican party willing to do? How far are they willing to go? How much of this country and their values are they willing to sell out?” the former Congressman-turned-Morning Joe co-host told Stephen Colbert on The Late Show Tuesday evening.

“But aren’t you a Republican?” Colbert asked.

“I am a Republican, but I’m not going to be a Republican any more,” he replied. ” I’ve got to become an independent ”

Scarborough, who represented Florida’s first district in Congress from 1994 t0 2001, said it is “inexplicable” that Republicans have continued to defend Trump. “It was disturbing through the entire campaign,” he told Colbert. “Time and time and time again they turned the other way. And they’re doing the same thing now. And its actually disgusting.”

Since Donald Trump announced his candidacy, Scarborough has been a frequent critic of the President. He and his fiancee/co-host Mika Brzezinski recently became the focus of Trump’s twitter ire, with the President referring to them as “low I.Q. Crazy Mika” and “Psycho Joe.” In that same Twitter spree, Trump also alleged that Brzezinski had a face lift, which she later denied.

 

 

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Write to Alana Abramson at Alana.Abramson@time.com