John Mitnick, who was general counsel of the Department of Homeland Security under Donald Trump, on Sunday called the Republican nominee a “would-be autocrat and fascist” in a lengthy social media thread warning “fellow conservatives” who are considering voting for Trump.
“I was a senior, Senate-confirmed appointee in the Trump administration. I saw it from the inside. It was a chaotic disaster. I am also a lifelong conservative, a former Republican nominee for Congress, and a former White House Counsel,” Mitnick wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in a 13-part thread.
“Trump is reckless, angry, vengeful, and narcissistic, and he has no respect for the Constitution or the rule of law.”
“He is not a conservative; rather, he is a would-be autocrat and fascist motivated exclusively by his personal self-interest,” he continued. “If you think he cares about you or your family, I assure you that he does not. He cares only about himself.”
Mitnick said the country did not go “completely off the rails” during Trump’s presidency because there were “just enough senior officials” who served as guardrails.
But in a second term, he warned, there would be no guardrails.
“If Trump is re-elected, senior administration positions will be filled entirely by blindly ambitious or unqualified radicals and grifters who pass a test of personal loyalty to Trump,” he predicted, echoing warnings from many other former Trump administration officials.
Mitnick wrapped up by encouraging fellow conservatives to join him in voting for Vice President Kamala Harris.
While he disagrees with the Democratic nominee on many issues, he wrote, “she will respect our constitutional system and the rule of law, and she will support our international alliances and allies.”
“It’s time to close the book on Trump and rebuild a truly conservative party based on respect for the Constitution, the rule of law, and each other,” he concluded.
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Last month, Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly, said he believes his onetime boss is a fascist and would govern like a dictator if elected again.
Thirteen others who worked in the administration subsequently signed an open letter backing him up and urging voters to heed Kelly’s warning.
Mitnick was among a dozen attorneys who served in the Bush and Reagan administrations who endorsed Harris in August. He was fired from the Trump administration in 2019 after he reportedly caused friction by pushing back against a White House proposal to release undocumented immigrants into sanctuary cities.