AMMUNITION FOR TRUMP?
Trump also has criticized the Republican Party for its backing of Bush's 2003 Iraq invasion.
"I would sooner work for (North Korean dictator) Kim Jong Un than for Donald Trump. I think Donald Trump is objectively more dangerous than Kim Jong Un and not as stable," said Max Boot, who was a foreign policy adviser to Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign and supported the Iraq invasion.
Boot is among the letter's signers, who also include David Shedd, who was acting director of the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency.
Kurt Volker, who was a permanent representative to NATO under Bush, said he did not sign the letter out of concern it could end up backfiring.
"My concern is that it’s not smart for the intelligentsia – the national security intelligentsia – to come out and bash Trump, the candidate, partly, he would use that as a tool, saying: ‘Here’s the establishment. More of the same. They’re afraid of me. I can do better.’ He would actually use it as a bragging right."
Volker said he had no intention of working for Trump. But he also cautioned he wanted to be free to offer advice to any future president, and that such a letter could prompt Trump to hold a grudge against signatories.
Several others who declined to sign, and asked not to be identified, said they did so because they feared such an effort could help Democrat Hillary Clinton win the presidency.
Trump's campaign has yet to release a full list of his foreign policy and national security advisers.
Those Trump has spoken with on foreign policy include a retired U.S. general and intelligence official, Michael Flynn, who favors closer ties with Russia. Flynn has declined to comment on whether he is advising Trump.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who won popularity for his handling of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, has said he has been having regular talks with Trump but not in a formal role.
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