Topline
More than 100 former staffers and national security leaders from past Republican administrations endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday—adding to the growing list of Republicans speaking out against former President Donald Trump.
A number of outspoken Trump critics, including Miles Taylor and Adam Kinzinger, signed the letter.
Key Facts
The letter—released by the group Reagan, Bush, McCain & Romney Alumni for Harris—is signed by 111 former officials from those administrations as well as ex-Trump staffers like Miles Taylor, along with some former Republican members of Congress like former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger.
In addition to criticizing Trump’s national security record and “demonstrated chaotic and unethical behavior,” the letter condemned Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021.
Forbes has reached out to Trump’s campaign for comment.
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Key Background
Earlier this month, the GOP group put out another letter signed by more than 200 Republicans who said another four years under Trump would “hurt real, everyday people and weaken our sacred institutions.” A number of Republicans who oppose a second Trump term spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August, including Kinzinger and Olivia Troye, both of whom signed the letter, along with four others. Still, polling indicates the vast majority of Republican voters intend to support Trump, who has typically lashed out against Republican critics and accused them of irrelevance.
Chief Critic
“These are the same people who got our country into endless foreign wars and profited off of them while the American people suffered,” Steven Cheung, spokesperson for Trump, told Forbes in a statement. “President Trump is the only president in the modern era not to get our country into any new wars.”
Here’s The Full Letter
We are former national security and foreign policy officials who served in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and/or Donald Trump, or as Republican Members of Congress. We have served in the White House, the Departments of Defense, Treasury, State, Justice, Homeland Security, Commerce, and other agencies and in Congress.
We believe that the President of the United States must be a principled, serious, and steady leader who can advance and defend American security and values, strengthen our alliances, and protect our democracy. We expect to disagree with Kamala Harris on many domestic and foreign policy issues, but we believe that she possesses the essential qualities to serve as President and Donald Trump does not. We therefore support her election to be President.
We firmly oppose the election of Donald Trump. As President, he promoted daily chaos in government, praised our enemies and undermined our allies, politicized the military and disparaged our veterans, prioritized his personal interest above American interests, and betrayed our values, democracy, and this country’s founding documents. In our view, by inciting the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and defending those who committed it, he has violated his oath of office and brought danger to our country. As former Vice President Pence has said “anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States.”
Donald Trump’s susceptibility to flattery and manipulation by Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, unusual affinity for other authoritarian leaders, contempt for the norms of decent, ethical and lawful behavior, and chaotic national security decision-making are dangerous qualities – as many honorable Republican colleagues and military officers who served in senior national security positions in his administration have frequently testified. He is unfit to serve again as President, or indeed in any office of public trust.
Vice President Harris has demonstrated a commitment to upholding the ideals that define our nation — freedom, democracy, and rule of law. Her experience as Attorney General of California and her leadership on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and as Vice President have helped prepare her to be President.
We are prepared to support her as President because she has:
- Consistently championed the rule of law, democracy, and our constitutional principles;
- Pledged to “ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world” and to honor and respect those who wear the uniform;
- Committed to sign the bipartisan Border Security package, drafted under the leadership of Republican Senator James Lankford and other Republicans, which would hire 1,500 new Customs and Border Protection personnel and provide more resources for law enforcement but was opposed by Donald Trump to avoid giving President Biden any political advantage;
- Supported a strong NATO to stand up to Russia and protect European and American security and been firm in her support of Ukraine;
- Declared her intention to ensure that the United States will meet the economic and military competition with China;
- Declared her intention to “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself” and “to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists”;
- Demonstrated that she can engage in orderly national security decision-making, without the constant drama and Cabinet turnover of the Trump Administration; and
- Committed to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet in order to encourage a diversity of views and restore a measure of bipartisanship and comity to our domestic politics.
We appreciate that many Republicans prefer Donald Trump to Kamala Harris, for a variety of reasons. We recognize and do not disparage their potential concerns, including about some of the positions advocated by the left wing of the Democratic party. But any potential concerns pale in comparison to Donald Trump’s demonstrated chaotic and unethical behavior and disregard for our Republic’s time-tested principles of constitutional governance. His unpredictable nature is not the negotiating virtue he extols. To the contrary, in matters of national security, his demeanor invites equally erratic behavior from our adversaries, which irresponsibly threatens reckless and dangerous global consequences.
In short, Donald Trump cannot be trusted “to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic . . . and bear true faith and allegiance to the same.” We believe that Kamala Harris can, and we urge other Americans to join us in supporting her.
Who Signed The Letter?
Admiral Steve Abbot
USN (Ret.), Former Deputy Homeland Security Advisor, George W. Bush Administration
Kenneth Adelman
Former Director, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, Reagan Administration
Dr. Carol C. Adelman
Former Assistant Administrator, United States Agency for International Development, Reagan Administration
Major General John Barry
USAF (Ret.), Former Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense
Richard C. Barth
Former Assistant Secretary, Department of Homeland Security, George W. Bush Administration
Christopher Barton
Former Director, National Security Council Staff
John Bellinger
Former Legal Adviser, National Security Council, George W. Bush Administration
Admiral Kenneth Bernard
Former Special Assistant to the President, George W. Bush Administration
Mark E. Bitterman
Former Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, George H.W. Bush Administration
Robert D. Blackwill
Former Deputy National Security Advisor and Ambassador to India, George W. Bush Administration
William Bodie
Former Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, George W. Bush Administration
Christian M.L. Bonat
Former Deputy General Counsel, Dept. of Defense, George W. Bush Administration and Obama Administration
Richard Boucher
Former Assistant Secretary of State, George W. Bush Administration
Charles W. Boustany, Jr.
Former Member of Congress, Louisiana
Charles R. Bowers
Former U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia, George H.W. Bush Administration
Greg Brower
Former Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Obama and Trump Administrations
Christopher Buckley
Former Chief Speechwriter, Office of Vice President George H.W. Bush
James R. Bullington
Former U.S. Ambassador to Burundi, Reagan Administration
Richard Burt
Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Reagan Administration
Gahl Hodges Burt
Former Assistant to the Secretary of State, Reagan Administration
Rear Admiral Fred Byus
U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Jack C. Chow
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, George W. Bush Administration
James W. Cicconi
Former Assistant to the President & Deputy to the Chief of Staff, The White House, George H. W. Bush Administration
Peggy Cifrino
Former Deputy Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, George W. Bush Administration
Eliot A. Cohen
Former Counselor of the Dept. of State, George W. Bush Administration
Benedict S. Cohen
Former General Counsel, Dept. of the Army, George W. Bush Administration
William Cohen
Former Secretary of Defense, Clinton Administration, and U.S. Senator, Maine
Joseph J. Collins
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, George W. Bush Administration
Barbara Comstock
Former Member of Congress, Virginia
Cindy Courville
Former Ambassador to the African Union and Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs for Africa, W. Bush Administration
Chester A. Crocker
Former Assistant Secretary of State, Reagan Administration
Patrick M. Cronin
Former Assistant Administrator, United States Agency for International Development, George W. Bush Administration
Stephen W. DeVine
Former Deputy Legal Advisor, National Security Council, George W. Bush Administration
Charles Djou
Former Member of Congress, Hawaii
Michael Donley
Former Secretary of the Air Force, George W. Bush Administration and Obama Administration
Raymond F. DuBois
Former Acting Under Secretary of the Army, George W. Bush Administration
Martha E. Duncan
Former Senior Executive Service, Dept. of Defense, George W. Bush Administration and Obama Administration
Lewis A. Dunn
Former Assistant Director, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, Reagan Administration
Eric S. Edelman
Former Under Secretary of Defense, George W. Bush Administration
Mickey Edwards
Former Member of Congress, Oklahoma
Richard A. Falkenrath
Former Deputy Assistant to the President, George W. Bush Administration
Jendayi E. Frazer
Former Ambassador to South Africa and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, George W. Bush Administration
Aaron L. Friedberg
Former Deputy Assistant to the Vice President, George W. Bush Administration
William Gaches
Former Director of Counterterrorism, National Security Agency, George W. Bush Administration
Janice Gardner
Former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, George W. Bush Administration
Stuart M. Gerson
Former Acting Attorney General of the United States, George W. Bush Administration
James K. Glassman
Former Under Secretary of State, George W. Bush Administration
Jon D. Glassman
Former Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President and Ambassador to Paraguay, George H.W. Bush Administration
David Gordon
Former Director, State Dept, Policy Planning, George W. Bush Administration
Sen. Chuck Hagel
Former Secretary of Defense, Obama Administration, and former U.S. Senator, Nebraska
Christopher Hankin
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State; Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Clinton Administrations
Mark Harvey
Former Special Assistant to the President, Trump Administration
General Michael V. Hayden
Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, George W. Bush Administration and Obama Administrations
Carla Hills
Former U.S. Trade Representative, George H.W Bush Administration
Seth Hurwitz
Former Counsel, President’s Intelligence Oversight Board, George H.W. Bush Administration
Peter Keisler
Former Acting Attorney General of the United States, George W. Bush Administration
James A. Kelly
Former Assistant Secretary of State, George W. Bush Administration
Adam Kinzinger
Former Member of Congress, Illinois
Sofia Kinzinger
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary, Dept. of Homeland Security, Trump Administration
Kenneth J. Krieg
Former Under Secretary of Defense, George W. Bush Administration
James R. Kunder
Former Deputy Administrator, United States Agency for International Development, George W. Bush Administration
Brigadier General George Landis, USA, Ret.
Former commander, United States Personnel Information Systems Command
Frank Lavin
Former Ambassador to Singapore and Former Under Secretary of Commerce, George W. Bush Administration
Peter Lichtenbaum
Former Assistant Secretary of Commerce, George W. Bush Administration
Rear Admiral David M. Lichtman, MD, USN (Ret.)
Former Commander, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, George H.W. Bush and Clinton Administrations
Winston Lord
Former U.S. Ambassador to China, Reagan and George H.W. Bush Administration
Steven R. Mann
Former Ambassador to Turkmenistan and Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the State Dept., Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations
Colonel John W. McDonald
Former Deputy Under Secretary of the Army
P. Michael McKinley
Former Ambassador to Peru and Acting Ambassador to the European Union and Mozambique, George W. Bush Administration; Former Ambassador to Peru, Colombia, Afghanistan, and Brazil, Obama Administration
Dan Miller
Former Member of Congress, Florida
John M. Mitnick
Former General Counsel, Dept. of Homeland Security, Trump Administration
Allen Moore
Former Under Secretary of Commerce, Reagan Administration
Alberto Mora
Former General Counsel, U.S. Information Agency, George H.W. Bush Administration; Former General Counsel, Dept. of the Navy, George W. Bush Administration
Kenneth Mortensen
Former Associate Deputy Attorney General, George W. Bush Administration
Vice Admiral Charles L. Munns
U.S. Navy (Ret.), George W. Bush Administration
John D. Negroponte
Former Director of National Intelligence and Former Deputy Secretary of State, George W. Bush Administration
Elizabeth Neumann
Former Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, Trump Administration
Sean O’Keefe
Former Secretary of the Navy, George H.W. Bush Administration; Former NASA Administrator, George W. Bush Administration
Bill Paxon
Former Member of Congress, New York
William R Piekney
Former CIA Chief of Station, Reagan Administration
Daniel M. Price
Former Deputy National Security Advisor, George W. Bush Administration
Alan Charles Raul
Former Vice Chairman, White House Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, George W. Bush Administration
Victor Reis
Former Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, George H.W. Bush Administration
Robert Annan Riley
Former Ambassador to Micronesia, Trump Administration
Paul Rosenzweig
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, George W. Bush Administration
Charles O. Rossotti
Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense; Former Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Clinton and George W. Bush Administrations
Nicholas Rostow
Former National Security Council Legal Adviser, Reagan and George H.W. Bush Administrations
Kori Schake
Former Deputy Director of Policy Planning, State Dept., George W. Bush Administration
Dr. Wayne A. Schroeder
Former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, George W. Bush Administration
Gregory L. Schulte
Former Senior Director, National Security Council Staff and Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, George W. Bush Administration
Robert Shanks
Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Reagan Administration
Rep. Christopher Shays
Former Member of Congress, Connecticut
John Simon
Former Senior Director, National Security Council Staff and Ambassador to the African Union, George W. Bush Administration
Stephen Slick
Former Senior Director, National Security Council Staff, George W. Bush Administration
Mark C. Storella
Former U.S. Ambassador to Zambia, Obama Administration
William H. Taft IV
Former Deputy Secretary of Defense and Ambassador to NATO, George W. Bush Administration
Miles Taylor
Former Chief of Staff, Dept. of Homeland Security, Trump Administration
Larry D. Thompson
Former Deputy Attorney General, George W. Bush Administration
Jack Thomas Tomarchio
Former Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Homeland Security, George W. Bush Administration
Olivia Troye
Former Special Advisor to the Vice President, Trump Administration
Robert Tuttle
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, George W. Bush Administration
John K. Veroneau
Former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative and Former Assistant Secretary of Defense, George W. Bush and Clinton Administrations
Colonel Terry Virts, USAF (Ret.)
Former NASA Astronaut, Former Commander of the International Space Station
Dr. Thomas G. Ward, Jr.
Former Director of Threats, Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, Reagan and Clinton Administrations
Matthew C. Waxman
Former Principal Deputy Director, State Dept Policy Planning, George W. Bush Administration
William H. Webster
Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigations, Reagan and George H.W. Bush Administrations
William F. Weld
Former Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, Reagan Administration
J. Robinson West
Former Assistant Secretary of Interior, Reagan Administration
Wendell L. Willkie II
Former General Counsel, Dept. of Commerce, George H.W. Bush Administration
Philip Zelikow
Former Counselor of the Dept. of State, George W. Bush Administration
Robert B. Zoellick
Former Deputy Secretary of State and U.S. Trade Representative, George W. Bush Administration; White House Deputy Chief of Staff, George H.W. Bush Administration
Further Reading
