America’s top generals, most seasoned diplomats and a leading businessman have served under President Donald Trump and had the opportunity to observe him closely. They include retired Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly, his former chief of staff; former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, his former secretary of State; retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, his former secretary of Defense; and retired Army Lieutenant Gen. H.R. McMaster and former ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, both former national security advisers to Trump. Each of these distinguished public servants evidently believes it is a matter of honor to keep their peace about a president who put them in a position of high responsibility.
But each of them has also sworn an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. Here is a case where honor and duty collide. Like the public at large, every one of these former high-ranking officials has witnessed unseemly behavior that renders Trump unfit to occupy the White House and serve as commander in chief. But what, bearing on Trump’s character, have they witnessed behind closed doors, in the situation room and in the Oval Office? With the future of our constitutional order hanging in the balance, don’t they have an obligation to speak the truth and inform the public?
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