Neil W. McCabe, the national political editor of The Star News Network, reports that Trump-endorsed Arizona GOP Senate hopeful Blake Masters got a boost to his campaign in the final weeks before the Aug. 2, 2022 primary, when he was endorsed by Ric Grenell and Kash Patel.
Both men announced in a joint statement they were supporting Masters, the former president of Thiel Capital, the family investment fund of Big Tech billionaire Peter Thiel.
Grenell, who served as the president’s ambassador to Germany and the acting director of national intelligence, presents an additional value-added for the Masters campaign, because in June he withdrew his endorsement of Masters’ rival Jim Lamon after that campaign began attacking Thiel and Trump. Patel served the former president as the chief of staff for the office of the secretary of defense.
TRANSCRIPT
McCabe: As we enter the final weeks of the August 2nd Arizona Senate Republican primary, Trump-backed Blake Masters got a huge boost with two endorsements from members of President Donald J. Trump’s national security team, Ric Grenell and Kash Patel.
Grenell: I think there’s nothing better than to make Arizona a state with a Republican senator like Blake.
McCabe: Ric Grenell, who served as President Trump’s ambassador to Germany and acting director of National Intelligence, put out a joint statement with Kash Patel, who served Trump as the chief of staff in the office of the secretary of defense.
The statement read in part, “We are proud to join Donald J. Trump in endorsing Blake Masters, a real America First patriot.” For Masters, this endorsement was a real coup because Grenell had endorsed one of his GOP rivals, Jim Lamon, an endorsement he withdrew in June.
Grenell: I originally endorsed Jim Lamon, and I did that because I saw someone who was tough on the border. I saw some things from the Lamon campaign that I didn’t like. I raised my voice and I’m going to be honest about one thing: I saw within that campaign some negative attacks that were not true.
McCabe: Grenell said he argued inside the Lamon campaign against attacking Big Tech billionaire Peter Thiel, a supporter of Masters.
Grenell: My friend Peter Thiel is someone who has taken on Big Tech. He has been a reformer for Big Tech.
McCabe: Then the Lamon consultants, led by Jeff Rowe, turned their guns on Trump, he said.
Grenell: I watched as little by little, the consulting team around Jim began to attack President Trump.
McCabe: Now that Grenell has joined the Masters campaign, he said he no longer feels conflicted and he is all in.
Grenell: And I came to the conclusion that Blake Masters, his position on issues and his style, is the best person to represent Arizona.
McCabe: Reporting for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network, Neil W. McCabe, Washington.
