The question on voters’ minds should be WHY did over 100 Republican former national security officials just endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president?
On Wednesday morning, the Reagan, Bush, McCain & Romney Alumni for Harris coalition published a letter from over 100 Republican former national security leaders. While some of them have previously supported Harris, for others it’s their first showing for Harris that follows on the heels of more than a dozen Republicans who served under President Reagan endorsing Harris.
Most of the are recognizable names for anyone following U.S. politics, like William Webster, CIA and FBI Director under Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush, John Negroponte, Director of National Intelligence under George W. Bush and Robert Zoellick, Deputy Secretary of State and U.S. Trade Representative under George W. Bush and White House Deputy Chief of Staff under George H.W. Bush.
Also signing onto the letter are former Republican members of Congress who focused on national security and foreign affairs like former Congressmen Bill Paxon of New York.
What’s going on here? It’s certainly not a domestic policy re-alignment. It’s notable that these endorsements come from people focused on national security and foreign policy, days before the UN will meet in New York, with world leaders nervous about a possible Trump return.
They write that they expect to disagree on foreign and domestic policy but they are endorsing Harris because they believe the President must be a steady leader who will defend American security and values, “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.”
In the other corner is ex-president Donald Trump, who brings up the specter of WWIII, a civil war, and Putin using nuclear weapons should Trump lose the 2024 election.
They “firmly oppose the election of Donald Trump,” the write. Noting the chaos that defined his presidency and undermined our allies, “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.”
Unlike the majority of Republicans now, they do not whitewash January 6th, “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.'”
Trump has repeatedly aligned with leaders hostile to the freedom the U.S. represents, including his claim that he and Kim Jong Un fell in love, his consistent praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his admiration for Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
They mention Trump’s affinity for dictators and the ease with which said dictators manipulate Trump to warn that Trump is unfit, “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.”
While many voters are just recently getting to know Harris, the letter writers say, “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.”
Speaking of false claims, the Russians are behind a false claim that Harris was involved in an alleged hit-and-run in San Francisco in 2011, according to new research by Microsoft. And this discovery reveals the truth about Putin’s claim to support Harris, even as Trump continues to platform giving Putin his biggest wishes (weakening NATO, not supporting Ukraine). Russia has pivoted from attacking President Biden to making up fake stories about Kamala Harris because they are afraid of Biden an Harris.
To that point, the Republicans in the letter spell out the specific reasons they are setting aside party differences to support Harris:
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.
There are ALSO some 230 former Republican staffers from Republican administrations and campaigns who have endorsed Harris, as well as former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter, former Congresswoman Liz Cheney. John McCain’s son endorsed Harris.
They finished with a rather alarming but accurate and thus all the more alarming warning, “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.
It’s not just Republicans who are putting aside ideological differences to prioritize American freedom and democracy; Democrats have welcomed Republicans to their big tent and compromised on their wish lists. As the letter noted, Harris has promised to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet and to sign the bipartisan Border Security package that gave conservatives easily 80% of what they asked for, but was tanked by Donald Trump for his own personal benefit.
WHY?
A coalition of grown ups are prioritizing a forward agenda for the United States with a strong leader who supports our allies, upholds global democracy and protects this country from all enemies, foreign and domestic. And that’s why Republicans are coming out of the woodwork to support the Vice President. They, too, don’t want to go back.
Read the full letter here.
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