Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced he will be supporting Kamala Harris for presidency despite him being a Republican. He also said he considers former Donald Trump a serious threat to the rule of law in the U.S.
In an op-ed to Politico, Gonzales, a lawyer born and raised in Texas, said he is the only official to serve both as White House counsel and as attorney general, giving him a unique perspective. He expressed a second Trump mandate could endanger the rule of law.
“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,” Gonzales wrote. “For that reason, though I’m a Republican, I’ve decided to support Kamala Harris for president.”
Gonzales argued that the U.S. Supreme Court has been losing its capacity to restrain presidential power. A ruling that gives the president presumptive immunity could allow a mandatary to take official actions for self-serving reasons.
“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,” he said.
An example of this is the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, Gonzales argued.
“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,” he wrote. “He failed to deploy executive branch personnel to save lives and property and preserve democracy. He just watched on television and chose not to do anything because that would have been contrary to his interests.”
Gonzales said that it is true that he doesn’t know how Harris will rule, however he does know how a second Trump term would be. He also said that the figure of Vice President doesn’t hold that much power and that Harris didn’t have control over President Joe Biden’s policies. In that direction, the Congress holds more power than the VP, and that the Congress is more to blame in terms of housing, economy and the border than Harris.
Despite not agreeing with many of her policies, Gonzales said Harris has “sworn fidelity to the rule of law as a former local prosecutor and state attorney general.” Because of this, the former AG expressed that Harris is “the best suited, able and committed to unite us in a manner consistent with the rule of law.”
Gonzales served as the U.S. Attorney General from 2005 to 2007 under former President George W. Bush and as White House Counsel from 2001 to 2005.
In Texas, he also served as Justice of state’s Supreme Court and as Secretary of State of Texas while Bush was governor of the state.
