Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is lashing out at Ohio Gov. John Kasich's decision not to vote for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Kasich on Tuesday wrote in Sen. John McCain on his absentee ballot, holding true to his word to snub Trump. Santorum told CNN's Brooke Baldwin that Kasich is "better than that" and should have followed through with his primary campaign pledge to back the eventual GOP nominee.
Kasich and Trump have been at odds since the summer. He didn't attend the GOP convention and said three weeks ago that he would not vote for Trump following a video release that showed him making lewd comments in 2005.
Kasich called Trump's comments disgusting and damaging to the Republican party.
But Santorum, a Republican presidential candidate in 2012 and 2016, said Kasich should have supported the GOP pick.
"If you're watching, John, you signed a pledge," he said on CNN. "You signed a pledge saying that you would support the Republican nominee for president. You signed a pledge in order to get on the ballot in South Carolina. You promised that you would follow through with that. You knew Donald Trump had a chance because he was leading in the polls at the time to be our nominee and you signed it anyway."
Santorum also berated House Speaker Paul Ryan and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
"Jeb Bush, I would say the same thing to you. You signed a pledge," Santorum said. "I would say the same thing to other candidates who have not stepped forward and said I'm gonna support Donald Trump. Because you wouldn't have been on the ballot. You wouldn't have been able to run for president had you not signed that pledge."
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