Bush Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Calls Trump ‘Most Serious Threat to Rule of Law in a Generation’ While Endorsing Kamala Harris

AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

Alberto Gonzales , who served as former President George W. Bush’s Attorney General, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in an op-ed on Politico on Thursday.

In the same op-ed, Gonzales called former President Donald Trump “perhaps the most serious threat to the rule of law in a generation.” Gonzales wrote:

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.

He also had a scathing dismissal of Congressional Republicans, all but saying he didn’t trust them to keep Trump in check:

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 also cited the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity while in office, writing of Trump’s potential future abuses of power:

Power is intoxicating and based on Trump’s rhetoric and conduct it appears unlikely that he would respect the power of the presidency in all instances; rather, he would abuse it for personal and political gain, and not on behalf of the American people.

Gonzales also pointed to the events of January 6, and how Trump “failed to do his duty and exercise his presidential power to protect members of Congress, law enforcement and the Capitol from the attacks that day,” saying he “just watched on television and chose not to do anything because that would have been contrary to his interests.”

In his endorsement of Harris, Gonzales defended her from critics who question why she didn’t do more as Vice President, again pointing the finger at Congress:

Trump and his surrogates will blame her for the economic policies of the Biden administration, as well as the border crisis. Based on my experience, however, a vice president truly has little to no influence on economic policy. A vice president may provide input, but it is the president who is the ultimate decision-maker. That is part of the job of being the president. Further, Congress has as much, if not more, power to affect our economy through legislation. It is as much their failure as Biden’s that child care, housing, gasoline and groceries cost too much. And as for the border, Trump and his supporters in Congress assumed partial responsibility for the tough border situation when they killed bipartisan legislation in order to help Trump’s election chances.

Ultimately, Gonzales wrote that he had more faith in Harris to carry out the duties of President:

Harris, meanwhile, has sworn fidelity to the rule of law as a former local prosecutor and state attorney general. Her record in law enforcement shows a clear commitment to pursuing justice. While I may disagree with some of her policies, I am hopeful she will be open to dissenting views and will act always in a manner respectful of the power of all three branches of government.

In his closing, he added that Harris was “the best suited, able and committed to unite us in a manner consistent with the rule of law.”

Read the full endorsement at Politico .