A group of 30 former GOP lawmakers wrote a letter slamming Republican nominee Donald Trump for his lack of experience Thursday, according to a report from The Hill.
Several previously silent lawmakers joined vocal Trump critics former Sen. Gordon Humphrey and former Rep. Vin Weber.
“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,” it reads.
“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.”
The letter included former Rep. Tom Petri, an ally to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. Also featured in the letter was former Rep. William Whitehurst.
Ryan initially failed to endorse the Republican nominee, saying he “just wasn’t there yet.” That kicked off a similar response from Trump. Ryan announced Thursday he would be hitting the campaign trail in support of Trump.
“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 group says each member is proud of their record as lawmakers and as Republicans, adding, “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.”
The group doesn’t add who the former lawmakers plan to support, if not Trump.
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