More than 740 former national security officials released a letter Sunday supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid and decrying former President Donald Trump as dangerous to the future of America.
Signers of the document include a mix of Republicans and Democrats, including four former defense secretaries — William Cohen, Chuck Hagel, Leon Panetta, and William Perry — and seven Senate-confirmed military service secretaries.
“This election is a choice between serious leadership and vengeful impulsiveness,” the letter states. “It is a choice between democracy and authoritarianism. Vice President Harris defends America’s democratic ideals, while former President Donald Trump endangers them.”
The public message comes just a few days after Harris’ campaign released a similar public message from about 100 former Republican officials calling Trump “unfit to serve” and two weeks after a group of retired generals wrote a public statement defending Harris from Trump’s attacks regarding her involvement in the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Both campaigns have traded letters with military and national security themes throughout the summer.
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Earlier this month, several families of servicemembers killed in Afghanistan offered their support for Trump. In August, a group of 50 veterans serving in Congress released a statement criticizing Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz for mischaracterizing his military service.
The latest letter also includes signatures from three former acting service secretaries, former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.
The group criticized Trump’s incitement of supporters ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and his past praise of foreign dictators as reasons to oppose his return to the White House. They also praised Harris’ work as vice president and her commitment to work with foreign allies to strengthen U.S. military capabilities.
“That is how we know Vice President Harris would make an excellent Commander In-Chief, while Mr. Trump has proven he is not up to the job,” the group wrote.
“As leaders, we know effective leadership requires in-depth knowledge, careful deliberation, understanding of your adversaries, and empathy for those you lead. It requires listening to those with expertise and not firing them when they disagree with you.”
The presidential election will be held on Nov. 5, but early voting has already opened in several states.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
