© Provided by The Hill Trump casts himself as underdogA group
of 30 former GOP lawmakers signed a blistering open letter to Republicans on
Thursday, warning that Donald Trump lacks the "intelligence" and
temperament to be president and urging the party to reject the GOP nominee at
the polls on Nov. 8.
The group includes several former lawmakers who have openly
opposed Trump from the start, including former Sen. Gordon Humphrey (R-N.H.)
and former Rep. Vin Weber (R-Minn.).
But more than half of the former lawmakers on the list are
announcing their opposition to Trump for the first time.
The group includes former committee chairmen, lawmakers from
swing-states with decades of experience on Capitol Hill, one of the first
openly gay members of Congress, and one member who led investigations on
Capitol Hill into scandals involving the Clintons.
"Our party's nominee this year is a man who makes a
mockery of the principles and values we have cherished and which we sought to
represent in Congress," the group said in a statement.
"Given the enormous power of the office, every candidate
for president must be judged rigorously in assessing whether he or she has the
competence, intelligence, knowledge, understanding, empathy, judgment, and
temperament necessary to keep America on a safe and steady course," the
letter continues. "Donald Trump fails on each of those measures, and he
has proven himself manifestly unqualified to be president."
Among those who signed the letter are swing-state stalwarts
like Reps. Bill Clinger (R-Penn.), Jim Leach (R-Iowa), Tom Petri (R-Wis.) and
G. William Whitehurst (R-Va.), each of whom spent more than a decade on Capitol
Hill.
Petri, the Wisconsin Republican, is a close ally of Speaker
Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).
Clinger was the chairman of the Government Reform and
Oversight Committee and led House investigations into the Bill Clinton
administration's "Filegate" and "Travelgate" controversies.
Leach, a close ally of former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio),
spent 30 years in Congress and rose to chairman of the House Banking and
Financial Services Committee.
Other former members rejecting Trump include Sherwood
Boehlert (R-N.Y.), who chaired the House Science and Technology Committee, Jim
Kolbe (R-Ariz.), the second openly gay Republican in Congress, Amo Houghton,
Jr. (R-N.Y.), who was once the wealthiest member of Congress, and Geoff Davis
(R-Ky.), who was consistently among the most conservative Republicans in
Congress.
"In nominating Donald Trump, the Republican Party has
asked the people of the United States to entrust their future to a man who
insults women, mocks the handicapped, urges that dissent be met with violence,
seeks to impose religious tests for entry into the United States, and applies a
de facto ethnicity test to judges," the group said.
"He offends our allies and praises dictators. His
public statements are peppered with lies. He belittles our heroes and insults
the parents of men who have died serving our country. Every day brings a fresh
revelation that highlights the unacceptable danger in electing him to lead our
nation."
The new round of opposition from prominent Republicans
actively working to sink their party's nominee comes just 33 days before the
election and three days before Trump and Hillary Clinton square off at the
second pivotal presidential debate.
Clinton has opened up a clear lead over Trump in the polls
and is favorite to win the White House, in part because Trump has been unable
to convince skeptical Republicans to get on board with his campaign.
Trump has repeatedly been stung by high-profile defections
from Republicans, including military leaders and former administration
officials from both Bush presidencies.
The letter from former Republican officials highlights those
divisions at a key moment in the race.
"We are proud of our service in the United States
Congress and proud that we served in that role as Republicans," the letter
states.
"It is in that spirit that, as Donald Trump's unfitness
for public office has become ever more apparent, we urge our fellow Republicans
not to vote for this man whose disgraceful candidacy is indefensible. This is
no longer about our party; it's now about America. We may differ on how we will
cast our ballots in November but none of us will vote for Donald Trump."
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