NewsNational

Actions

GOP Senate hopeful tells supporters to go 'RINO hunting'

Election 2022 Senate Missouri
Posted at 2:30 PM, Jun 20, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-20 14:30:12-04

Eric Greitens, who is running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Missouri, released a controversial ad that calls on his supporters to go "RINO" hunting.

RINO (Republican In Name Only) is a popular acronym used by many on the far-right to describe more centrist Republicans.

In the ad, Greitens, a former Navy SEAL, is seen with a gun outside of a home.

"The RINO feeds on corruption and is marked by the stripes of cowardice," Greitens says in the ad before he and a group of men in military gear storm the home .

He then references a "RINO hunting permit" that is available on his campaign's website.

"Join the MAGA crew. Get a RINO hunting permit. There's no bagging limit, no tagging limit, and it doesn't expire until we save our country," Greitens says.

The ad was flagged on Twitter for violating rules about "abusive behavior." However, it wasn't taken down because Twitter says it has "determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible."

Greitens, the former governor of Missouri, is no stranger to controversy. He resigned as governor in 2018 amid allegations of an extramarital affair and claims of abuse.