More than 100 former Republican officials endorse Harris over Trump in damning letter
Your support helps us tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support allows me to be in this room and demand transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we would not have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation allows us to continue doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way until the November election.
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
A group of more than 100 prominent former Republican officials have thrown their support behind Kamala Harris in a scathing letter saying Donald Trump is “unfit to serve again as president, or in any capacity of public trust.”
The letter, obtained by The New York TimesIts signatories include former Defense Secretaries Chuck Hagel and William Cohen; former CIA Directors Michael Hayden and William Webster; and former Trump administration officials Miles Taylor and Olivia Troye, among others.
The signatories acknowledge that they likely disagree with Harris on a number of issues, but argue that Donald Trump’s affinity for strongmen and his behavior on January 6 disqualify him from serving again.
“As president, he has fostered daily chaos in government, praised our enemies and undermined our allies, politicized the military and denigrated our veterans, prioritized his own personal interests over American interests, and betrayed our values, democracy, and the founding documents of this country,” the letter reads.
GOP officials praised Harris for her outspoken positions on defending Israel, supporting NATO and sending more agents to the U.S.-Mexico border.
“These are the same people who dragged our country into endless foreign wars and profited from them while the American people suffered,” said Trump campaign manager Steven Cheung. The Independent by email. “President Trump is the only president in the modern era who has not dragged our country into new wars.”
Many prominent anti-Trump Republicans have thrown their support behind Harris’ campaign.
Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, one of Trump’s most vocal (and only) Republican critics in Congress, announced earlier this month that she would vote for Harris — as would her father, former Bush administration Vice President Dick Cheney.
“As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I’ve thought a lot about this issue,” she told a crowd in North Carolina. “Because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, I’m voting for Kamala Harris.”
Others have taken support for Harris even further, with figures like former Illinois Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger appearing at the Democratic National Convention.
“Donald Trump is a weak man pretending to be strong,” Kinzinger said at the DNC. “He’s a small man pretending to be big. He’s a faithless man pretending to be righteous. He’s a criminal who can’t help but play the victim.”
Harris’ campaign is likely hoping that some of that support will help her win over independents and moderate Republicans.
A recent USA Today-Suffolk University poll found Harris maintains a 43-38 lead among independents in the key swing state of Pennsylvania, mirroring her projected lead in the overall presidential race so far.