13 former Trump administration officials sign an open letter backing John Kelly's criticism of Trump

Thirteen former Trump White House officials signed an open letter supporting former Trump chief of staff John Kelly, who told the New York Times that Trump met the definition of a fascist.

“We applaud General Kelly for clearly highlighting the danger of a second Trump term. Like General Kelly, we did not make the decision to come forward lightly,” the letter said. “We are all lifelong Republicans who have served our country. However, there are moments in history when it becomes necessary to put country over party. This is one of those moments.”

Politico was first to report the letter.

The letter released by the Harris campaign is signed by former officials, including former press secretary Stephanie Grisham, former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff Miles Taylor and Olivia Troye, Mike Pence's former national security adviser. All three former Trump administration officials have become prominent critics of him after his presidency ended.

Troye and Grisham spoke at the Democratic National Convention this year. Troye was also one of the signatories of a letter from over 200 Republican officials in August supporting Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

In his interview with the Times published Tuesday, Kelly also said he had seen Trump praising Adolf Hitler on multiple occasions. His comments came the same day the Atlantic reported that Trump said he wished he had generals like Hitler.

In their letter, the former Trump officials said Kelly's claims were “disturbing and shocking.” They added: “Unfortunately, having known Trump and having worked for and alongside him, we were not surprised by what General Kelly had to say. “That is Donald Trump.”

Trump on Thursday denied ever saying positive things about Adolf Hitler, including saying he “needed the kind of generals Hitler had.”

The Harris campaign has highlighted Kelly's comments about his former boss and released a new ad Thursday that used Kelly's audio recordings published by The New York Times.

In a statement Wednesday, Harris said Kelly's claims were “a glimpse into the person Donald Trump really is, from the people who know him best, from the people who work side by side with him in the Oval Office and in the situation.” Room.”

She added that “in a second term, people like John Kelly would no longer be there to counter his tendencies and actions.”

A Harris campaign official told NBC News that the campaign's focus group of undecided voters this week found Kelly credible and impartial, leading some to further question the vote for Trump.