Messages

Patriotic Republicans Say Don't Vote for Trump

Over 100 Republican national security leaders have implored Republican voters NOT to vote for Donald Trump, in a letter reproduced below:

Republican Former National Security Leaders Statement of Support for Vice President Harris

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.

Signed

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.)

Kevin Carroll

Senior Counselor to the Secretary of Homeland Security, Donald Trump Administration

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

Michael V. Kostiw

Senior Advisor to the Directional of National Intelligence, Trump Administration; Republican Staff Director, Senate Armed Services Committee; Senior Advisor to the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, George W. Bush 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

Walter B. McCormick, Jr.

General Counsel, Department of Transportation; Chief Legal Officer and Judge Advocate General, U.S. Coast Guard, George H.W. Bush Administration

Colonel John W. McDonald

Former Deputy Under Secretary of the Army

P. Michael McKinley

Former Ambassador to Peru, George W. Bush Administration; former Ambassador to Colombia and Afghanistan, Barack Obama Administration; former Ambassador to Brazil, Donald Trump 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 and Under Secretary of State, George H.W. Bush Administration; Counselor to Secretary James Baker, Treasury Department, Ronald Reagan Administration