Among Most Respected in Intelligence Industry, Say ‘Reckless’ Trump ‘Lacks the Character, Values and Experience’ to Be President
In what might be the most damning denouncement any presidential candidate could ever receive, 50 of the nation’s top and most respected national security officials have signed a letter warning that Donald Trump would be “the most reckless president in American history.”
Among the signatories are former Secretaries of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff and Tom Ridge; former CIA and NSA Director Michael Hayden; former Director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte; and former Deputy National Security Advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan, Meghan O’Sullivan, all of whom served under President George W. Bush, as The New York Times reports
“We know the personal qualities required of a President of the United States,” the signers of the document state, noting they have all “worked in Republican Administrations, from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush,” they say. “None of us will vote for Donald Trump.”
But it gets even worse for 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,” the signatories state.
“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.”
Noting that Trump “continues to display an alarming ignorance of basic facts of contemporary international politics,” they add:Â
Trump “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.”
UPDATE:
From a conservative –
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