Given Vice President Kamala Harris’ emphasis on reaching independents and disaffected Republican voters, it was not surprising that the Democratic campaign launched an early “Republicans for Harris” initiative. What’s surprising is how successful it has been.
Republicans for Harris have emerged as a credible powerhouse over the course of the 2024 race, backed by former members of Congress, governors, mayors, state legislators, Cabinet secretaries, White House staffers, Republican National Committee chairmen and even a former Republican vice president who probably never dreamed he would support a Democratic presidential candidate.
But two days before Election Day, Harris received new support from an unexpected former Trump administration official. HuffPost noted:
John Mitnick, general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security under Donald Trump, on Sunday called the Republican candidate a “so-called autocrat and fascist” in a lengthy social media thread in which he warned “fellow conservatives” who are considering voting for Trump. “I was a senior, Senate-confirmed appointee in the Trump administration. I’ve seen it from the inside. It was a chaotic disaster. I am also a lifelong conservative, a former Republican candidate for Congress, and a former White House counsel,” Mitnick wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in a 13-part thread.
To be clear, Mitnick isn’t exactly the kind of Republican who has earned the “RINO” label. The man was, among other things, head of the legal department of the Heritage Foundation.
But he went online on Sunday to warn the American public about his party’s presidential candidate. “Trump is reckless, angry, vindictive and narcissistic, and he has no respect for the Constitution or the rule of law,” Mitnick wrote as part of a lengthy online thread.
He added: “[Trump] is not a conservative; rather, he is a would-be autocrat and fascist, motivated solely by his personal self-interest. If you think he cares about you or your family, I assure you he doesn’t. He only cares about himself.”
Mitnick went on to explain that the United States did not go “completely off the rails” during Trump’s first term because “there were just enough senior officials to serve as a ‘guardrail’.”
In a second term, he explained, there will be no guardrails.
“You will not escape the disastrous effects of his policies (e.g. tariffs) on the economy, global instability and damage to national security resulting from his admiration for foreign dictators, or the chaos, lawlessness and persecution he promises, Mitnick added. “Nobody will do that.”
The former Trump administration official concluded:
“I disagree with Kamala Harris on many issues, but she will respect our constitutional system and the rule of law, and she will support our international alliances and allies. She has also promised to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet. I respectfully urge you to join me and many other conservatives and Republicans in voting for Kamala Harris. It is time to close the book on Trump and rebuild a truly conservative party based on respect for the Constitution, the rule of law and each other.”
I realize that some within the Republican Party, like Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, want to know “what the hell” these anti-Trump Republicans are thinking, but what Americans are seeing is an extraordinary display of patriotism from current and former officeholders. , who put each country above party.
Moreover, let’s not overlook that these same Republicans are taking a risk: they know, just as we all know, that Trump believes in using the tools of power to exact revenge on those on his enemies list. It is entirely possible that Mitnick and many like him will feel the wrath of the former president if he returns to power.
But with the future of the country at stake, they do it anyway.
This message updates our related previous reporting.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
