A group of more than 100 former security officials from Republican administrations said Wednesday that former President Trump is unfit to serve and that they are endorsing Kamala Harris for president.
The letter, written by 111 former Republican Party leaders, including former defense secretaries, CIA chiefs and a director of national intelligence, portrayed Trump as a would-be strongman who routinely betrayed American interests on the world stage by kowtowing to enemies like Vladimir Putin.
“As President, [Trump] “He has wreaked havoc on the government, praised our enemies and undermined our allies, politicized the military and denigrated our veterans,” the letter reads. “He has prioritized his own personal interests over American interests and betrayed our values, democracy and the founding documents of this country.”
US President Donald Trump to visit South Korea
pak7130/Getty Images 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 South and North Korea on June 30, 2019 in Panmunjom, South Korea. (Photo provided by Dong-A Ilbo via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Officials, many of whom have already broken with Trump, said the former president also betrayed the trust of the American people by trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
“He violated his oath of office and endangered our country,” the letter said.
Former Vice President Mike Pence also denounced his former boss, saying that “anyone who puts themselves above the Constitution should never be president of the United States.”
The letter notes that Republican Party leaders don’t necessarily agree with most of Harris’s positions. But it cites her support for a strong America and says any concerns “pale in comparison” to their concerns about the dire threat Trump poses if he wins another four-year term.
The signatories include a number of officials who served under recent Republican presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush or George W. Bush.
Some had already publicly broken with Trump, but had not yet declared their support for Harris.
The list includes former CIA directors Michael Hayden and William Webster, former Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte and former Defense Secretaries Chuck Hagel and William Cohen.
The letter is the latest effort by Republicans in the #NeverTrump movement to prevent the scandal-plagued former president from returning to the White House.
Several Republican Party officials, including former 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, former Rep. Liz Cheney, in endorsing Harris.
Mike Pence, who had to flee for his life from a mob of pro-Trump extremists on January 6, has said he will not vote for Trump but has not endorsed Kamala Harris. John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, has taken a similar position.
George W. Bush has said he is retired from politics and has no plans to endorse anyone in the 2024 presidential race.
