Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who’s in the middle of a tough reelection bid, said he would advise Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton if she asked him to do so, according to an interview in Politico published Monday.
{mosads}“I would’ve said the same thing if Hillary Clinton’s people had called me the same day. Why wouldn’t you?” asked Issa, who is advising Republican nominee Donald Trump.
The Republican congressman has for years been a fierce opponent of President Obama.
Earlier this month, Obama spoke at a fundraiser in California and attacked Issa for his partisanship, blaming the California congressman for playing a role in Trump’s rise.
“This guy has spent all his time simply trying to obstruct, to feed the same sentiments that resulted in Donald Trump becoming their nominee,” Obama said at the time.
Issa’s Democratic opponent, Doug Applegate, cites Trump as a reason for why Californians should not back Issa.
“President Obama got it right that Darrell was Trump before Trump,” Applegate told Politico.
Issa formally endorsed Trump at the end of May, after every other Republican primary candidate had dropped out of the race. Like other Republican senators and House members, Issa is on the receiving end of an onslaught of attacks for supporting the GOP nominee.
“The reason that people talk to me on the street is that they’re tired of not having someone who is a representative in the true sense of the word,” Applegate added.