In an email to TIME, Kochel, who is currently working for Bush’s Right to Rise PAC, said he was stepping back from his public role. “In my full time role at the PAC, I have decided not to sign advocacy petitions of any kind,” he said.
After the 2012 election, many former Romney aides, including Kochel, joined Republican operatives and a handful of congressional lawmakers in signing the amicus brief. Kochel spoke openly about the issue in local and national news interviews.
TIME reported on the full list of amicus signers on Thursday. Among those who dropped off between 2013 and 2015 were actor and director Clint Eastwood and former Romney advisor Ben Ginsberg. It was not clear why they did not sign on once again.
In an interview Thursday, Ken Mehlman, who organized both amici briefs, declined to comment on conversations with potential signers.
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