Prominent Republican former White House Counsel and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has endorsed Kamala Harris for president.
Gonzales wrote in Politico Magazine:
The American presidency is the most powerful position in the world. Of course, our constitution and laws, as well as institutions such as Congress and our courts, act as guardrails to that power. The law provides the certainty of accountability and fundamental fairness. Yet it is the president’s integrity, honesty and respect for our institutions that may be the most important and reliable check on abuses of power.
….
As the United States approaches a critical election, I can’t sit quietly as Donald Trump — perhaps the most serious threat to the rule of law in a generation — eyes a return to the White House. For that reason, though I’m a Republican, I’ve decided to support Kamala Harris for president.
The character of the person we elect in November is particularly important today because the current members of the House of Representatives and the Senate have proven spectacularly incapable or unwilling to check abuses of executive power.
Gonzales was correct. Our system of government was set up to check abuses of executive power, but that system has largely been mothballed and dismantled through Congressional inaction and the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling. The Congressional inaction has come from one side of the aisle, as Republicans have refused to use their constitutional powers to curb Trump’s abuses of power.
Character is the only thing that will now enforce respect for the rule of law. Democrats could remedy the current situation if they have full control of the federal government in January 2025, but without it, the door is open for Trump if he wins to be a lawless president who would destroy democracy.
The character of the candidates is on the ballot, and for Republicans who believe in the rule of law, Kamala Harris is the clear and only choice for president.
The support of Dick and Liz Cheney has opened the floodgates among prominent Republicans. Alberto Gonzales may be the next, but he won’t be the last big-name Republican to endorse Harris.
To comment on this story, join us on Reddit.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
