Until today, Chris Madel was a leading GOP candidate for the Republican nomination as Minnesota's next governor.

In a video statement posted Monday morning announcing the end of his campaign, Madel said he supported the goal of Operation Metro Surge to deport “the worst of the worst,” but that the mission had expanded too far past its stated focus on “true public safety threats.” He said he personally had heard from local law-enforcement officers of Hispanic and Asian descent who had been pulled over by ICE.

“United States citizens, particularly those of color, live in fear. United States citizens are carrying papers to prove their citizenship,” he said. “That’s wrong.”

He's not being completely altruistic. He said he also saw that ICE had, in his words, made it impossible for a Republican to run in Minnesota.

He says he helped Jonathan Ross fill out paperwork to get an attorney, and doesn't represent him, although the WSJ is reporting otherwise. Via the Wall Street Journal:

In the 10-minute clip, Madel is wearing a red-and-blue striped tie and seated in his home office in front of a window looking out on a snowy landscape. The 59-year-old political newcomer thanked supporters for helping him quickly vault to the top of a crowded field and promised to pay back all campaign donations, which totaled $426,000 in December alone.

“I am above all else a pragmatist,” he said. “The reality is that the national Republicans have made it nearly impossible for a Republican to win a statewide election in Minnesota.”

He is still bending the knee to Trump, at least publicly. Via the Star-Tribune:

While he called ICE’s Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota an “unmitigated disaster,” Madel also said he believes President Donald Trump deserves credit for many things, such as brokering a ceasefire in Gaza, getting NATO countries to increase their defense spending and proposing a 10% cap on credit card interest.
“Many unfairly do not provide the president with nearly enough credit,” he said.

Madel said that Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s anticipated run for governor had nothing to do with his decision to end his campaign.

“Believe me, if I could reach into my pocket and pull out the necessary many millions of dollars to run as an independent, I would,” Madel said. “But again, reality guides my decision.”

Just a couple of weeks ago though, he was giving legal advice to the murderer of Renée Good.