CNN’s Phillip on No Labels: ‘$70 Million just in a dumpster set on fire’

CNN anchor Abby Phillip expressed amazement Thursday that the political group No Labels burned through tens of millions to recruit a third-party presidential ticket that never materialized.

“Even if they had found the right personality, where was this thing going?” Republican strategist Rina Shah asked during an appearance on Phillip’s prime-time CNN show. “I’m just not that surprised that it crashed and burned.”

“I mean, $70 million just in a dumpster set on fire,” Phillip quipped, asking Rolling Stone columnist Jay Michaelson, another guest on the show, “Where does this money go now?”

No Labels announced Thursday it was abandoning its effort to recruit a candidate to run against President Biden and former President Trump in this fall’s presidential election.

“No Labels has always said we would only offer our ballot line to a ticket if we could identify candidates with a credible path to winning the White House,” the group said announcing the decision. “No such candidates emerged, so the responsible course of action is for us to stand down.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is also running for president as an independent, and the Green and Libertarian parties are also expected to field candidates.

No Labels tried to convince former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) to join the ticket but were ultimately unsuccessful.