WASHINGTON — Last week — before the third set of criminal charges were filed against former President Donald Trump — Richard Porter, an influential Illinois GOP leader, said it was time for Republicans to break from Trump.
As Trump was in a Washington courtroom pleading not guilty Thursday to four federal criminal charges stemming from his attempts to overturn the 2020 election — up to and including the Jan. 6 Capitol attack by his supporters trying to thwart Joe Biden’s certification as the winner — I phoned Porter in Chicago to see if other top Republicans in Illinois were poised to join his call.
