Amid Utah Senate race, Trump praises 'outstanding' Mike Lee, blasts Mitt Romney, 'Evan McMuffin'

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday slammed frequent critics Evan McMullin and Sen. Mitt Romney, offering a full-throated endorsement of longtime Trump ally Mike Lee in the process. 

Lee this week publicly urged Romney to support him in his re-election bid. Lee is running to maintain his seat representing Utah in the U.S. Senate against challenger Evan McMullin. 

McMullin, a former CIA operative, has long been known for his vocally anti-Trump leanings; he gained notoriety in 2016 after having been floated as a possible candidate to challenge Trump during that election. Running as an independent, he has been endorsed in his bid by the Utah Democratic Party, which has not put forth a candidate in this year's Utah Senate race.

Trump in a Wednesday statement blasted both McMullin and Romney, the latter of whom has not yet endorsed Lee.

"Mike Lee is an outstanding Senator who has been abused, in an unprecedented way, by a fellow Republican Senator from his own State, something which rarely has happened in political History," Trump said in the statement. "Such an event would only be understandable if Mike did not perform his duties as a United States Senator, but he has, and he has performed them well."

The former president slammed Lee's challenger, whom he derided as "Evan 'McMuffin' McMullin."

"Mike should now ... go on to win a race against a man who should have, based on his failed career as a politician, no chance of winning," Trump said. "Mike Lee is outstanding and has my Complete and Total Endorsement. Mitt Romney and Evan McMuffin can count on the fact that they will never have my Endorsement!"

According to FiveThirtyEight, virtually every major poll now shows Lee winning the Utah race by several points next month.