A group of more than 100 former security officials in Republican administrations Wednesday called former President Trump unfit to serve and said they support Kamala Harris for president.
The letter from 111 ex-GOP leaders, including former defense secretaries, CIA chiefs and a director of national intelligence, derided Trump as a wannabe strongman who regularly betrayed American interests on the world stage by kowtowing to enemies like Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
“As president, [Trump] promoted daily chaos in government, praised our enemies and undermined our allies, politicized the military and disparaged our veterans,” the letter read. “(He) prioritized his personal interest above American interests and betrayed our values, democracy and this country’s founding documents.”
U.S. President Donald Trump Visits South Korea
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A handout photo provided by Dong-A Ilbo of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the South and North Korea on June 30, 2019 in Panmunjom, South Korea. (Handout photo by Dong-A Ilbo via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The officials, many of whom have previously broken with Trump, said the former president also betrayed the trust of the American people by trying to overturn his loss in the 2020 election.
“He has violated his oath of office and brought danger to our country,” the letter said.
It quoted former Vice President Mike Pence, who has separately denounced his former boss, saying “anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be president of the United States.”
The letter noted that the GOP leaders do not necessarily agree with many of Harris’ positions. But it cited her support for a strong America and said any concerns “pale in comparison to” their worries about the dire threat posed by Trump if he wins a fresh four-year term.
The signatories include an array of officials who served under recent GOP presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush or George W. Bush.
Some had previously publicly broken with Trump but had not yet declared their support for Harris.
The list includes past CIA directors Michael Hayden and William Webster, former Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte and ex-defense secretaries Chuck Hagel and William Cohen.
The letter marks the latest effort by so-called #NeverTrump Republicans to prevent the scandal-tarred former president from returning to the White House.
Several GOP officials including ex-Rep. Adam Kinzinger spoke at the Democratic National Convention to warn of the danger posed by Trump.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney, who served under George W. Bush, recently joined his daughter, ex-Rep. Liz Cheney in endorsing Harris.
Pence, who had to flee for his life from a mob of pro-Trump extemists on Jan. 6, says he will not vote for Trump but has not backed Harris. Trump’s onetime National Security Adviser John Bolton has taken a similar stance.
George W. Bush says he is retired from politics and does not plan to endorse anyone in the 2024 presidential race.