US national security experts say Donald Trump not fit to lead

Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and more than 70 other experts wrote that they opposed a Trump presidency

Dozens of conservative national security experts are warning that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is unfit to be commander in chief.

In a letter released on Wednesday, former Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff and more than 70 other experts wrote that they have disagreed with one another on a variety of issues but are united in their opposition to a Trump presidency.

They called Trump "fundamentally dishonest" and said his support for the expanded use of torture against suspected terrorists is inexcusable. They also cited Trump's "hateful, anti-Muslim rhetoric," his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his advocacy for waging trade wars, which they say would lead to economic disaster in a globally connected world.

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The letter was posted on the web site War On The Rocks, an online forum for foreign policy and national security commentary.

Other experts who signed the letter include Fran Townsend, former homeland security and counter-terrorism adviser to President George W Bush; Eliot Cohen, former counselor to the State Department; Dov Zakheim, former Pentagon comptroller; and Robert Zoellick, former president of the World Bank.

The letter was released the evening before 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney criticised Trump in a speech, calling him dangerous and a fake. Romney said that if Republicans choose Trump to be their presidential nominee, "the prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished."

During an interview on Thursday on MSNBC, Trump declined to say whom he consults with on foreign policy issues. But he said he has spoken to his team and plans to announce its members soon.

"I don't think there's any rush," Trump said. Trump said he respects Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations. Haass served in the administrations of Presidents George W Bush and George H W Bush.