Politics

Former Vice Chair Of Trump’s Joint Chiefs Of Staff Joins Nearly 500 Other ‘National Security Leaders’ To Endorse Biden

(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Christian Datoc Senior White House Correspondent
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Paul Selva and 488 “national security leaders” endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 election Thursday morning.

Selva was nominated to serve as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by former President Barack Obama in 2015, and President Donald Trump nominated to serve a second term in 2017. He retired in August of 2019.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 5: U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump pose for pictures with senior military leaders and spouses, including including Gen. Joseph Dunford (R), chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and General Paul Selva (4th L), vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, after a briefing in the State Dining Room of the White House October 5, 2017 in Washington, D.C. The Trumps are hosting the group for a dinner in the Blue Room. (Photo by Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 5: U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump pose for pictures with senior military leaders and spouses, including including Gen. Joseph Dunford (R), chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and General Paul Selva (4th L), vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, after a briefing in the State Dining Room of the White House October 5, 2017 in Washington, D.C. The Trumps are hosting the group for a dinner in the Blue Room. (Photo by Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images)

“We are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. We love our country,” the group wrote in an “Open Letter To America,” published Thursday. “Unfortunately, we also fear for it. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven America needs principled, wise, and responsible leadership. America needs a President who understands, as President Harry S. Truman said, that ‘the buck stops here.'” (EXCLUSIVE: Trump Was Furious With Mnuchin Over TikTok Global Deal, Current And Former Admin Officials Say)

“The current President has demonstrated he is not equal to the enormous responsibilities of his office; he cannot rise to meet challenges large or small,” they closed, claiming that “Joe Biden has the character, principles, wisdom, and leadership necessary to address a world on fire.”

Selva is just the latest of numerous former Trump administration officials to endorse Biden ahead of the November election.

Former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff Miles Taylor and Olivia Troye, Vice President Mike Pence’s former top staffer on the White House coronavirus task force, have both endorsed Biden and cut ads with Republican groups supporting the former vice president explicitly outlining why they won’t vote for Trump.