Repudiating Trump

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Far too many prominent Republicans secretly disagree with, if not despise, Donald Trump, yet are too cowardly to speak out. However, some key conservative voices have been doubling and tripling down with their anti-Trump warnings ahead of the critical presidential election.
Liz Cheney, for example, has not only endorsed Kamala Harris but has campaigned with her, aiming to give so-called permission to disgruntled Republicans to make an exception to their voting record this time for the sake of saving democracy. Fortunately, Cheney isnโ€™t the only Republican who is going out on a far limb, showing both a sincerity and an urgency behind their message.

Retired judge and attorney J. Michael Luttig is about as conservative as you can get. While he is proud of his record, he is not proud of the GOP under Trump. Appointed by George H.W. Bush, Luttig served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 1991 to 2006. Despite his long record as a leading conservative legal figure, Luttig has been highly critical of Trump.

In August, Luttig not only officially repudiated Trump, but announced he will โ€œunhesitatingly vote forโ€ Harris, calling her the only candidate who โ€œcan claim the mantle of defender and protector of Americaโ€™s Democracy, the Constitution, and the Rule of Law.โ€ While acknowledging that Harrisโ€™ positions are โ€œvastly differentโ€ from his, Luttig said he is โ€œindifferentโ€ this time around and believes โ€œall Americans should beโ€ prioritizing โ€œAmericaโ€™s Democracy, the Constitution, and the Rule of Law.โ€

With the election now a week away, Luttig is back with an even stronger warning in the form of a guest essay for The New York Times on Tuesday, titled โ€œTrump Betrayed America. My Fellow Republicans Must Put Country Above Party.โ€ Luttig wrote that he doesnโ€™t โ€œrecognize the Republican Party that I have known across my lifetime,โ€ observing that itโ€™s not the party of Lincoln or Reaganโ€”and itโ€™s not even conservative. On the contrary, โ€œthe partyโ€ฆ stands only for one man and that manโ€™s disfigurement of both republicanism and conservatism.โ€

Luttig concludes his latest exhortation by pointing out that while Harris calls on Americans to โ€œstand up for the rule of lawโ€ and that we โ€œhave the power to chart a new way forward,โ€ Trump will never utter such words. Adding that โ€œ[t]he choice for America next Tuesday could not be clearer,โ€ Luttig is driving home the remarkable point that, despite obvious policy differences, supporting the Democratic candidate is the right answer for conservatives this time around.

Dear readers, we've just launched the Palmer Report 2025 Operating Expenses Fund. If we can fully fund this, it'll bridge the gap and ensure that Palmer Report can keep fighting now and forever. I'm asking you to contribute what you can to our PayPal Page or our GoFundMe Page, both of which accept debit and credit cards. Thank you.