Evan McMullin/Twitter
Former CIA official Evan McMullin is expected to announce an independent presidential bid.
Evan McMullin, who currently serves as chief policy director for the House Republican Conference, will mount an independent presidential bid that will launch just three months from election day, according to BuzzFeed and MSNBC host Joe Scarborough.
McMullin has repeatedly denounced Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, questioning the real-estate magnate's temperament and foreign policy credentials.
Opposing @realDonaldTrump is about putting principle over power, a virtue some in Washington are too quick to abandon. #NeverTrump
- Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) May 7, 2016Once again, @realDonaldTrump exhibits his lack of understanding of world events & admiration for authoritarianism.
https://t.co/grW5H9HIHh
- Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) March 11, 2016Like many other third-party candidates, McMullin's begins his bid with obvious shortcomings.
He has little name recognition, and will likely have difficulty getting his name on the ballot in many states. BuzzFeed reported, however, that some major Republican donors are planning on backing the former CIA official's bid.
McMullin isn't the first GOP official to consider challenging Trump in the wake of his victory in the Republican primary. National Review columnist David French also considered a third-party bid earlier this year at the urging of high-profile figures in the Republican party, but eventually ruled against it.