Trump would be 'dangerous' president, Republican security officials say

Fifty prominent Republicannational security officials, including a former CIA director, onMonday called party nominee Donald Trump unqualified to lead thecountry and said he would be "the most reckless president inAmerican history."

The statement was the latest repudiation of Trump'scandidacy by veteran Republican national security specialists,and was remarkable for the harshness of its language.

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"Mr. Trump lacks the character, values, and experience to bepresident. He weakens U.S. moral authority as the leader of thefree world. He appears to lack basic knowledge about and beliefin the U.S. Constitution, U.S. laws and U.S. institutions,including religious tolerance, freedom of the press, and anindependent judiciary," the statement said.

"None of us will vote for Donald Trump," said the statement,which noted that some signatories also have doubts aboutDemocratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Donald Trump is not the answer to America's dauntingchallenges. Open letter from Republican security officials

"From a foreign policy perspective, Donald Trump is notqualified to be president and commander in chief," said thestatement, which was first reported in the New York Times."Indeed, we are convinced that he would be a dangerous presidentand would put at risk our country's national security andwell-being."

'Failed Washington elite'

The signatories, some of whom worked for more than oneRepublican president, included former CIAdirector Michael Hayden, who also headed the NationalSecurity Agency; former homeland security secretary MichaelChertoff; former director of national intelligence JohnNegroponte; and two former U.S. trade representatives, CarlaHills and Robert Zoelick.

These insiders are theowners of the disastrous decisions to invade Iraq. Donald Trump

Other signatories included former senior State Department,Pentagon and National Security Council officials who helped planand oversee the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. Trump has harshlycriticized the Iraq operation, although when radio host HowardStern asked him in 2002 if he favoured invading Iraq, Trump saidhe guessed he did.

The statement was organized by Philip Zelikow, who served asa top adviser to former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.

Trump responded with a statement deriding the signatories asmembers of "the failed Washington elite" who "deserve the blamefor making the world such a dangerous place."

"These insiders along with Hillary Clinton are theowners of the disastrous decisions to invade Iraq, allowAmericans to die in Benghazi, and they are the ones who allowedthe rise of ISIS," he continued, using an acronym for themilitant groupIslamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Reminder of divisions

The statement did not cite specific comments by Trump, butit clearly was a response to a series of remarks he has madequestioning the need for NATO, expressing admiration for RussianPresident Vladimir Putin, calling for a temporary ban onimmigration by Muslimsand inviting Russia to hack Clinton'sprivate email server which he later said was a joke.

Many of the signatories had declined to sign an open letterdisputing Trump's national security qualifications that waspublished in March.

The statement said many Americans are frustrated with thefederal government's failure to solve domestic and internationalproblems.

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"But Donald Trump is not the answer to America's dauntingchallenges and to this crucial election," the statement said."We are convinced that in the Oval Office, he would be the mostreckless President in American history."

Some Democratic foreign policy experts called the statementa reminder of the divisions the New York real estate developer'snomination has sown within the Republican Party.

"This letter is signed by those who remain in theinternationalist wing of the party many were former advisorsto candidates who lost the primary fight to Trump," said BrianKatulis, a fellow at the Center for American Progress and aClinton campaign adviser.

"Calling Trump unqualified to be commander in chief istough, but also asserting that he's lacking in character andunderstanding of our basic values is really pretty amazing,"said Tommy Vietor, a former National Security Council spokesmanin Democratic President Barack Obama's administration.

"Thatsaid, I think it's unlikely to influence many voters, but itcould give cover to Republican members of Congress and donorswho want to cut the cord and move on from Trump."

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