Later says it is “in the best interests of our nation” to choose the former VP.
More than 70 former Republican national security officials, including some former members of the Trump administration, came out in support of Joe Biden’s bid for president Thursday, according to an open letter that also offered a shameful dismissal of the President Donald Trump’s first term in office.
“We are deeply concerned about the course of our nation under the leadership of Donald Trump,” the officials wrote. “Through his actions and his rhetoric, Trump has shown that he lacks the character and competence to lead this nation and has engaged in corrupt behavior that makes him unfit to serve as president.”
Some signatories include former FBI Director William Webster, former Secretary of Defense under President Obama Chuck Hagel and former CIA Director Michael Hayden.
The letter outlines 10 reasons why signatories believe Trump is not fit for the Oval Office.
“Donald Trump has seriously damaged the role of America as world leader,” the first point in the letter says. Other items include statements that Trump ‘is not fit to lead during a national crisis’,’ requested foreign influence ‘,’ aligned himself with dictators’, ‘our armed forces, intelligence agencies and diplomats disparate,’ ‘the law undermined,’ ‘it bureau of the presidency scandal, “” divided our nation, “” attacks and devastated immigrants “and” crushed the security of America. ”
“While we – like all Americans – had hoped that Donald Trump would rule wisely, he has disappointed millions of voters who have placed their trust in him and shown that he is dangerously unfit to serve another term. On the contrary, we believe that Joe Biden has the character, the experience and the temperament to lead this nation, ‘reads the letter.
One of the former officials who signed the letter told ABC News that she hoped Trump would run for president, but in her opinion he did not.
“Many of us hope that Trump, like him before him, would rise to the honor of the bureau. That the mantle of leadership would weigh heavily on him and lead to a change in behavior. That maybe tweeting, bullying, “that crude language would be left behind closed doors and that he would treat the bureau with the dignity and gravity it deserves. That did not happen,” Elizabeth Neumann, former assistant secretary of Homeland Security, told ABC News.
“[Trump’s] leadership style is chaos; and if you study him – this is a style he has used in the company for decades, “she added. But chaos at the top of our federal government is leading to chaos in the entire government. Some see this as a way to weaken the so-called ‘deep state’ – but what it actually does is the ability of our security agencies to secure and protect our nation. The botched COVID response is not only the latest example – but also one of the tombstones with the cost of living American lives. ”
The Trump campaign did not immediately comment on the letter.
“Donald Trump’s four years in the White House have left America isolated abroad, our alliances in Tatars, and autocrats like Xi and Putin emboldened,” Biden campaign spokesman Michael Gwin said in a statement. “This conversion is a clear sign of both how weak Donald Trump has left the United States worldwide, and of the unique ability of Vice President Biden to record the pieces next January by building critical relationships and standing up for American values and interests against the opponents that Trump has coddled. ”
Earlier this week, former staff manager of the Homeland Security department under former secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Miles Taylor, came out in support of Biden.
“Given what I’ve experienced in the administration, I need to support Joe Biden for president,” Taylor said in a video posted and produced by the group of Republican voters against Trump. “And while I’m not a Democrat, although I do not agree on major issues, I’m sure Joe Biden will protect the country, and I’m sure he’s not making the same mistakes as this president.
Acting Secretary Chad Wolf jumped Taylor in a statement, accusing him of reversing course for five minutes of notoriety. ‘
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