Republican congressman says he’s retiring as he doesn’t want to ‘lie’ for Trump or his party

Republican congressman Ken Buck has further explained his decision not to run for re-election, citing his refusal to lie for the GOP and the Republican presidential candidate — presumably, Donald Trump.

Mr Buck, who has represented Colorado’s 4th Congressional District since 2015, is best known for being an anti-Trump Republican. Now, he says he’s giving up his seat after becoming disillusioned with some members of his party.

“But really we’re at a time in American politics, that I am not going to lie on behalf of my presidential candidate on behalf of my party,” Mr Buck said on NewsNation earlier this week. “And I’m very sad that others in my party have taken the position that as long as we get the White House, it doesn’t really matter what we say.”

The Colorado representative also cited personal reasons for stepping down.

“I’m at a point in my life where I want to do different things,” he said. “I want to enjoy my family more, I want to do less business travel and more recreational travel. There are a lot of things that went into the decision.”

Mr Buck has made similar comments before, expressing his concern with some politicians’ “departure from reality.”

“Our nation is on a collision course with reality, and a steadfast commitment to truth — even uncomfortable truths — is the only way forward,” he said last year.

Mr Buck, despite being a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus in the US House of Representatives, has often parted from his Maga-allied colleagues. In 2020, he voted to certify the presidential election, departing from his 147 Republican colleagues in the House and Senate who voted to overturn it despite there being no evidence of election fraud.

More recently, Mr Buck was one of just three House Republicans to vote against the impeachment of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

He has also questioned GOP-led efforts to impeach President Joe Biden — however, last month he issued a resolution urging Vice President Kamala Harris to invoke the 25th amendment and declare the President incapable of serving in office.