WASHINGTON, Sept 9 (Askume) – A group of 10 retired senior US military officers endorsed US Vice President Kamala Harris in a letter made public on Monday, saying she is the only presidential nominee suitable to serve as the country’s commander-in-chief, calling her Republican rival Donald Trump a “threat to our national security and democracy”.
The letter, signed by retired Gen. Larry Ellis and retired Navy Rear Adm. Michael Smith, among others, cited Trump’s derogatory comments about service members and his “chaotic approach” toward Afghanistan ahead of the U.S. troop withdrawal, including negotiating an agreement with the Taliban that would return the regiment’s 5,000 fighters to the battlefield.
In contrast, Harris “has demonstrated her ability to tackle the most difficult national security challenges in the situation room and on the international stage,” from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to tensions with China in the Indo-Pacific, he wrote.
“Harris is the best and only presidential candidate in this race who is best suited to serve as our commander-in-chief,” he wrote in a letter posted by the Harris campaign on Twitter.
The Democratic vice president and Trump, who is contesting a third term after serving from 2017 to early 2021, are set to lock horns in an unprecedented contest ahead of the November 5 election.The race is facing a tough contest , with the future of American democracy at stake.
The letter coincides with the release of a new campaign ad by Harris ahead of the two candidates’ Tuesday night debate , in which former Trump officials warn that Trump’s re-election as president poses significant risks.
The ad reads: “In 2016, Donald Trump said he would only pick the best people to work in the White House. Now, those same people are sending a warning to America. Concerned about his vice president, Trump is unfit to serve as president. Again, videos of Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence, former Defense Secretary Mike Esper, former National Security Adviser John Bolton and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley were shown.
The letter comes just a day after House Speaker Mike Johnson hosted a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony honoring 13 service members who died in August 2021 during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Fellow Republicans have tried to blame Harris for the Afghanistan withdrawal, on which Congress released a report on Monday .
In the letter, the retired military officers accused Trump of “failing to accept responsibility for his role in putting service members at risk,” noting that he had signed a deal to release Taliban militants without the involvement of the Afghan government, which later abandoned the deal.
