He spent decades as a Republican, but Richard Painter, George W. Bush's chief ethics lawyer, plans on running for Senate in Minnesota as a Democrat, the Star Tribune reports.
He recently filed paperwork with federal elections officials, and Painter is expected to make the announcement Monday during a news conference. Painter, 56, is a University of Minnesota professor of corporate law and vice chairman of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. A graduate of Harvard and Yale Law School, Painter served as Bush's ethics lawyer from 2005 to 2007, and has never held elected office. He moved to Minnesota with his family in 2007, and has been a vocal critic of President Trump and his behavior and business practices.
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