After Trump Endorses his Rival, a Nevada Senate Candidate Lashes Out

Jeff Gunter, who is competing in Tuesday’s Nevada Republican primary for the Senate and described himself as “110 percent pro-Trump,” saw Donald J. Trump endorse one of his primary opponents, Sam Brown, over the weekend. He did not take it well.

Mr. Trump announced his endorsement of Mr. Brown on Truth Social, his social media platform, late Sunday night, after the former president’s rally in Las Vegas.

In a social media post on Monday, Mr. Gunter claimed without evidence, and without details, that a big political check had been sent from “the swamp,” amounting to a bribe for Mr. Trump.

He suggested that the former president had intended to endorse Mr. Brown at the rally, but refrained because of pressure from “fearless MAGA warriors.” Then a “big check” arrived, he claimed — possibly, he speculated, from the National Republican Senatorial Committee or a political action committee aligned with the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell — and prompted Mr. Trump to make the endorsement later.

Mr. Gunter’s campaign, when asked if the candidate could provide evidence that a donation had arrived before Mr. Trump announced his endorsement, responded, “Yes he can, stay tuned.” The campaign did not provide any evidence and did not respond to a question about when Mr. Gunter would do so.

Mike Berg, a spokesman for the N.R.S.C., said, “Jeff Gunter has become totally unglued and is making false, defamatory accusations against N.R.S.C. and President Trump’s team.”

The Senate Leadership Fund — the political action committee affiliated with Mr. McConnell, which Mr. Gunter appeared to refer to in his social media post — did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

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