Former Director of National Intelligence and the first openly gay cabinet member in U.S. History, Ric Grenell, endorsed Morgan Ortagus for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat.
Prior to redistricting, Grenell had endorsed Robby Starbuck but he pulled that endorsement. Both the Ortagus campaign and the Starbuck campaign have confirmed that Grenell’s previous endorsement of Starbuck was pulled.
The Ortagus campaign released the following statement from Ambassador Grenell.
Today I am proud to endorse Morgan Ortagus for Congress. I fought on the front lines with Morgan defending the United States and putting America First. I am grateful for her willingness to once again serve the people.
Ortagus said of Grenell’s endorsement, “I’m incredibly humbled to have Ric Grenell’s endorsement! Ambassador Grenell and I worked together in the trenches to put America First, and in Congress, I’m going to continue our good work!”
This endorsement was announced while Ortagus and Grenell were at an event for President Trump-endorsed candidates at Mar-a-Lago.
The Tennessee Star reached out to Robby Starbuck for comment on Grenell’s endorsement of Ortagus. He was not surprised but touted his other endorsements.
As the co-chair of President Trump’s PAC for 2022 it’s no surprise to me that Ric Grenell had to endorse candidates that President Trump has endorsed. Tennesseans understand the politics of that situation. I’m overjoyed with the America First coalition of endorsements my campaign has received from Senator Rand Paul, Candace Owens, Rep. Thomas Massie, Williamson County Sheriff Dusty Rhoades, Rep. Madison Cawthorn, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Charlie Kirk, AZ Gov Candidate Kari Lake, NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Trump Lawyer Jenna Ellis, Rep. Ken Buck, Dr. Sebastian Gorka and many more. We’ll win this race on the ground alongside the people of Tennessee.
As of this writing, it is unclear if any of Starbuck’s other endorsers will follow Grenell’s lead.
Grenell joins President Trump and former Trump administration colleague, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in endorsing Ortagus.
When he left the Trump administration, Grenell joined the RNC as a senior adviser for LGBTQ outreach.
Grenell currently serves as a senior advisor for national security and foreign policy at the Christian non-profit, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). Former member of Trump’s impeachment legal team, Jay Sekulow, serves as chief counsel for the ACLJ.
Pompeo also works at the ACLJ, serving as senior counsel for Global Affairs.
The Star previously reported Pompeo’s team dodged the issue of Ortagus’ recent move to Tennessee when asked for comment about his endorsement, stating, “Our quote in the endorsement release stands on its own.”
The new 5th Congressional District contains parts of Davidson County, Wilson County, Williamson County, and all of Marshall, Maury, and Lewis counties.
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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Morgan Ortagus” by U.S. Department of State. Photo “Richard Grenell” by Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Background Photo “United States Capitol” by Martin Falbisoner. CC BY-SA 3.0.
