H.R. McMaster Speaks Out Against Trump’s Election Comments: ‘This is Something That Our Founders Feared’

Former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster said President Donald Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transition of power should he lose the election was “disappointing” and “unfortunate” in an interview with CNN Thursday.

“This is very disappointing,” the retired Army lieutenant general told Wolf Blitzer. “Really this is something that our Founders feared.”

He continued:

If you go back to the Federalist Papers and look at what James Madison and Alexander Hamilton wrote about, they wrote about the danger of factions, they meant political parties, if we identify with them more than we identify with our Republic, that that could lead to violence and so forth. We have to demand that our leaders restore confidence in our democratic principles and institutions and processes. And of course, it’s the administration who has responsibility to secure the election process. There’s been a lot of work done within that administration to do it after the lessons of the 2016 election. I think the comments are very unfortunate, Wolf. As you mentioned, our elections have been under attack in the past. Let’s not attack them ourselves. Let’s come together as Americans and execute a process we can have confidence in.

Blitzer went on to ask what role the U.S. military would have if Trump were to refuse to concede after losing the election, to which McMaster replied: “Absolutely no role, Wolf. Those who suggest that the military would have any role in [the] transition, they are being equally irresponsible.”

Trump said “we’re going to have to have to see what happens” when asked at a White House press briefing on Wednesday if he would commit to a peaceful transfer of power should Joe Biden win the 2020 election.

Those comments drew widespread condemnation, even from members of Trump’s own party.

Watch above, via CNN.