'We are going to come at you': Anti-Trump Dems and Republicans unite to stop No Labels candidate

A coalition of both Democratic and Republican-affiliated groups are issuing a direct threat to a conservative-leaning group considering fielding a third-party candidate in 2024, along with the potential candidates pondering a spoiler campaign.

Semafor reported this week that several groups, including progressive nonprofit MoveOn, the Lincoln Project (a group founded by several prominent anti-Trump Republicans), Public Citizen and American Bridge held a conference call to strategize a counter to the group No Labels' stated plans to run a third-party candidate in the upcoming presidential election. The call was also joined by conservative columnist Bill Kristol, GOP strategist Sarah Longwell (publisher of anti-Trump conservative outlet The Bulwark), former Sen. Doug Jones (D-Alabama) and Dmitri Melhorn, who is an aide to Democratic-aligned billionaire Reid Hoffman.

"Through every channel we have, to their donors, their friends, the press, everyone — everyone — should send the message: If you have one fingernail clipping of a skeleton in your closet, we will find it," one speaker said on the strategy call. "If you think you were vetted when you ran for governor, you're insane. That was nothing. We are going to come at you with every gun we can possibly find."

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to hold office again?

"We did not do that with [Green Party candidate] Jill Stein or [Libertarian Party candidate] Gary Johnson, we should have, and we will not make that mistake again," the speaker added.

Some of the top names considered to be a potential No Labels candidate include former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming), former Governors Jon Huntsman (R-Utah) and Larry Hogan (R-Maryland) and current governors Doug Burgum (R-North Dakota) and Chris Sununu (R-New Hampshire). Outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) has also not ruled out a 2024 campaign for the presidency. Semafor reported that a "source close to Manchin" said previous reports that Manchin had decided to not run were "bull----."

In addition to the threats against potential candidates, Semafor reported that the group End Citizens United, which had a representative on the call, was weighing a possible IRS complaint against No Labels that would force the group to disclose its donors. That person said compelling disclosure would be "a huge hit to [No Labels'] entire operation."

The groups said if No Labels ran a candidate in 2024, that person would not only have no real path to winning the 270 electoral votes needed to become president, but would also likely peel more swing state votes away from President Joe Biden than Donald Trump, who has a more committed base. By depriving Biden of votes in critical battleground states like Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin — which Biden only won by tens of thousands of votes combined in 2020 — No Labels could effectively help put Trump in the White House for a second term.

READ MORE: 'Bargaining chip': How No Labels' 'radical new plan' could 'ensure a second Trump term'

Click here to read Semafor's full report.