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50 Republican National Security Officials Eviscerate Trump In Open Letter

Trump “would be the most reckless President in American history,” they write.

08/08/2016 03:28 pm ET
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Christina Wilkie  

National Political Reporter, The Huffington Post

Dozens of the Republican Party’s most experienced national security officials will not vote for GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, they wrote in an open letter released Monday.

“We are convinced that [Trump] would be a dangerous President and would put at risk our country’s national security and well-being,” said the former officials, many of whom held top positions in the George W. Bush administration.

“Most fundamentally, Mr. Trump lacks the character, values, and experience to be President,” they added. “He weakens U.S. moral authority as the leader of the free world. He appears to lack basic knowledge about and belief in the U.S. Constitution, U.S. laws, and U.S. institutions, including religious tolerance, freedom of the press, and an independent judiciary.”

Signers include some of the best known intelligence, defense and security experts of the past two decades: Michael V. Hayden, the former director of both the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency; Michael Chertoff and Tom Ridge, both of whom served as secretaries of Homeland Security during the Bush administration; Dov Zakheim, a former under secretary of defense; John D. Negroponte, a deputy secretary of state and a former director of national intelligence; Eric Edelman, a top national security adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney; and Robert Zoellick, a former deputy secretary of state, United States trade rep and president of the World Bank.

The letter, which was first reported on by The New York Times, represents yet another blow to Trump’s ongoing effort to win over top Republicans. That job that has become significantly more difficult in recent weeks, as Trump has feuded with the family of a fallen soldier and threatened repeatedly to abandon NATO.

The missive also raises questions about who might agree to serve in a hypothetical Trump administration and offer the former reality TV star advice on national security issues.

Trump has repeatedly sought to distance himself from some of the most controversial policies of the Bush administration, such as the war in Iraq, which Trump claims he opposed in 2003. Even so, it’s safe to assume that Trump’s campaign would have welcomed support from top members of the national security apparatus.

The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment about the letter.

In closing, the 50 officials wrote, “We are convinced that in the Oval Office, he would be the most reckless President in American history.”

Read the entire letter below.

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Page 1 of 8

StatementofFormerNationalSecurityOfficials.docx

STATEMENT BY FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY OFFICIALS

The undersigned individuals have all served in senior national security

and/or foreign policy positions in Republican Administrations, from

Richard Nixon to George W. Bush. We have worked directly on

national security issues with these Republican Presidents and/or their

principal advisers during wartime and other periods of crisis, through

successes and failures. We know the personal qualities required of a

President of the United States.

None of us will vote for Donald Trump.

From a foreign policy perspective, Donald Trump is not qualified to be

President and Commander-in-Chief. Indeed, we are convinced that he

would be a dangerous President and would put at risk our country’s

national security and well-being.

Most fundamentally, Mr. Trump lacks the character, values, and

experience to be President. He weakens U.S. moral authority as the

leader of the free world. He appears to lack basic knowledge about and

belief in the U.S. Constitution, U.S. laws, and U.S. institutions,

including religious tolerance, freedom of the press, and an independent

judiciary.

In addition, Mr. Trump has demonstrated repeatedly that he has little

understanding of America’s vital national interests, its complex

diplomatic challenges, its indispensable alliances, and the democratic

values on which U.S. foreign policy must be based. At the same time,

he persistently compliments our adversaries and threatens our allies and

friends. Unlike previous Presidents who had limited experience in

foreign affairs, Mr. Trump has shown no interest in educating

himself. He continues to display an alarming ignorance of basic facts of

contemporary international politics. Despite his lack of knowledge, Mr.

Trump claims that he understands foreign affairs and “knows more

about ISIS than the generals do.”

Page 1 of 8

Page 2 of 8

StatementofFormerNationalSecurityOfficials.docx

Mr. Trump lacks the temperament to be President. In our experience, a

President must be willing to listen to his advisers and department heads;

must encourage consideration of conflicting views; and must

acknowledge errors and learn from them. A President must be

disciplined, control emotions, and act only after reflection and careful

deliberation. A President must maintain cordial relationships with

leaders of countries of different backgrounds and must have their respect

and trust.

In our judgment, Mr. Trump has none of these critical qualities. He is

unable or unwilling to separate truth from falsehood. He does not

encourage conflicting views. He lacks self-control and acts

impetuously. He cannot tolerate personal criticism. He has alarmed our

closest allies with his erratic behavior. All of these are dangerous

qualities in an individual who aspires to be President and Commander- in-Chief, with command of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

We understand that many Americans are profoundly frustrated with the

federal government and its inability to solve pressing domestic and

international problems. We also know that many have doubts about

Hillary Clinton, as do many of us. But Donald Trump is not the answer

to America’s daunting challenges and to this crucial election. We are

convinced that in the Oval Office, he would be the most reckless

President in American history.

Donald B. Ayer

Former Deputy Attorney General

John B. Bellinger III

Former Legal Adviser to the Department of State; former Legal Adviser

to the National Security Council, The White House

StatementofFormerNationalSecurityOfficials.docx

Robert Blackwill

Former Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Planning, The

White House

Michael Chertoff

Former Secretary of Homeland Security; former Assistant Attorney

General for the Criminal Division, Department of Justice

Eliot A. Cohen

Former Counselor of the Department of State

Eric Edelman

Former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; former National Security

Advisor to the Vice President, The White House

Gary Edson

Former Deputy National Security Advisor, The White House

Richard Falkenrath

Former Deputy Homeland Security Advisor, The White House

Peter Feaver

Former Senior Director for Strategic Planning, National Security

Council, The White House

Richard Fontaine

Former Associate Director for Near East Affairs, National Security

Council, The White House

Jendayi Frazer

Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for

African Affairs; former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs

StatementofFormerNationalSecurityOfficials.docx

Aaron Friedberg

Former Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President, The

White House

David Gordon

Former Director of Policy Planning, Department of State

Michael Green

Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Asia,

National Security Council, The White House

Brian Gunderson

Former Chief of Staff, Department of State

Paul Haenle

Former Director for China and Taiwan, National Security Council, The

White House

Michael Hayden

Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency; former Director, National

Security Agency

Carla A. Hills

Former U.S. Trade Representative

John Hillen

Former Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs

William Inboden

Former Senior Director for Strategic Planning, National Security

Council, The White House

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