Ellensburg congressional candidate accuses Trump of treason

SEATTLE - A former prosecutor from Ellensburg who is running for Congress accused President Donald Trump of treason in a 30-second ad that debuted Thursday.

The ad from Democratic candidate Jason Rittereiser comes in response to Trump's press conference with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland earlier this week.

"We just watched President Trump denounce American law enforcement and let Russia get away with attacking our nation," Rittereiser said. "Here in Ellensburg, we call that treason."

Rittereiser is running in a crowded field in Washington's highly competitive 8th district. Rep. Dave Reichert, a Republican and the retiring incumbent, said last year he expects the seat will "be hard" to keep in his party's hands.

Rittereiser's comments come as the Aug. 7 primary approaches, and he looks to stand out among a crowd of relatively unknown candidates and likely take on Republican candidate Dino Rossi for the seat.

"This election is about the future of our democracy," Rittereiser said. "A choice between Trump supporter Dino Rossi, or someone who will stand up to this administration."

A request to Rossi's spokesperson for a comment Friday morning wasn't returned.