Rep. Paul Mitchell announced that he's switching his affiliation from Republican to Independent

Retiring Rep. Paul Mitchell of Michigan, who did not run for reelection during the 2020 contest, announced on Monday that he is switching his affiliation from Republican to Independent.

"While admittedly symbolic, we all know that symbols matter," Mitchell said in a letter to Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel and House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy. 

In the letter the congressman noted that he had voted for President Trump in the 2020 election even though he had "some reservations" about the prospect of another Trump term.

"Any candidate, including the president, is entitled to request recounts and pursue legal challenges they believe are appropriate if they possess evidence of wrongdoing. President Trump has undertaken or supported both of these options. Recounts have failed to significantly alter the vote outcome in any state and dozens of court cases have been summarily dismissed in both state and Federal courts across our nation," Mitchell wrote.

"It is unacceptable for political candidates to treat our election system as though we are a third-world nation and incite distrust of something so basic as the sanctity of our vote," Mitchell declared.

"The stability and strength of our democracy has been an ongoing concern for me. I expressed strong concerns about the president's response to Charlottesville, the anti-immigrant 'send them back' rhetoric, and even the racist comments of my own colleagues in the House," the outgoing congressman wrote in the letter. 

Mitchell said that he thinks some Republican leaders are operating in the interest of political concerns: "If Republican leaders collectively sit back and tolerate unfounded conspiracy theories and 'stop the steal' rallies without speaking out for our electoral process, which the Department of Homeland Security said was 'the most secure in American history,' our nation will be damaged. I have spoken out clearly and forcefully in opposition to these messages. However, with the leadership of the Republican Party and our Republican Conference in the House actively participating in at least some of those efforts, I fear long-term harm to our democracy," he said. "I believe that raw political considerations, not constitutional or voting integrity concerns, motivate many in party leadership to support the 'stop the steal' efforts, which is extremely disappointing to me."