Ever since Donald Trump attacked Khizr and Ghazala Khan for openly ridiculing him at the Democratic National Convention, several military veterans and conservatives have come out in the Gold Star parents’ defense. Arizona politician John McCain, four-star Army General Barry McCaffrey — none have held back from criticizing the Republican nominee. Now it seems 50 GOP national security experts have joined in the fray — albeit one that has less to do with the Khans, and more to do with Trump’s diplomatic prowess (or lack thereof).
According to the New York Times, the letter writers assert their refusal to vote for Trump. Why? Because “from a foreign policy perspective, [he’s] not qualified to to be the President and Commander-in-Chief.” Not just because of his brash history with the press (and his many, many “enemies”), but mainly due items like his allegedly “sarcastic” plea for Russian hackers to acquire Hillary Clinton’s emails. Hence the signatories’ determination that a Trump presidency “would put at risk our country’s national security and well-being.”
“We understand that many Americans are profoundly frustrated with the federal government,” the letter concludes. “But Donald Trump is not the answer to America’s daunting challenges … [because] he would be the most reckless president in American history.”
If this seems like an expertly-timed troll to coincide with anti-Trump conservative Evan McMullin’s independent run for the White House, then maybe it is. Then again, considering some of the names that adorn the letter, conspiracy theorists would be hard-pressed to prove it. From former Homeland Security secretaries Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff, to former CIA and NSA director Michael Hayden — who famously wanted to put Edward Snowden on a “kill list” — Trump’s latest batch of detractors aren’t simply a bunch of no-name Republicans.
Check out the full letter here.
(Via New York Times)