Donald Trump is up for reelection this year against former vice president Joe Biden. Although the Republican incumbent has earned the party’s nomination, several of his former officials have since turned against Trump to support Biden instead.
Politico reports that former Trump administration official for Homeland Security Miles Taylor, along with a fellow former colleague, Elizabeth Neumann who also worked for Homeland Security have launched their Republican Anti-Trump group called REPAIR also known as Republican Political Alliance for Integrity and Reform. Taylor is recruiting more of his former colleagues to join the cause, even those who are currently working for the administration.
The group hopes to reform the Republican party through electing Biden for president. According to those knowledgeable in the matter, two current administration officials have anonymously joined the group. One of them already has plans to come forward and reveal themselves shortly before the election, expecting dismissal afterward. The group is also planning to drop another “bombshell” following Taylor’s firsthand testimonies about Trump and his colleagues who still work and support him.
“The President has demonstrated he’s unfit for office. And those of us who witnessed the chaos of his administration firsthand from the inside are coming together to ensure that Trump is not reelected. More importantly, this organization will be planning for a post-Trump Republican Party and working with other groups in the GOP and repair our republic,” said Taylor in a statement.
The organization as of now is being financed by Bill Kristol, who founded Republican Voters Against Trump. REPAIR will also likely create its ads attacking Trump that features former Trump administration officials speaking out against him. However, it is likely that those ads by REPAIR will be run by other fellow Republican anti-Trump groups as well.
Aside from former Trump administration officials, former Republican presidential appointees have also warned against the president’s reelection. The former Trump appointees have previously served as Senior Ethics aides or Justice Department aides will be endorsing Biden around the same time as other prominent Republicans are stepping forward to voice their support for the Democratic candidate. These former appointees cited that Trump has “weaponized” the executive branch of the government which jeopardizes the credibility of the DOJ in turn.
“I think a lot of us are extremely alarmed, frankly, at the threat of autocracy. He’s going to be unleashed if he gets a second term. I don’t know what’s going to stop him,” warned former Bush administration deputy attorney general Donald B. Ayer. Other officials from the Reagan and H.W. Bush administrations are also said to endorse Biden.