Bush’s attorney general endorses Harris, calling Trump ‘most serious threat to law’

Alberto Gonzales, a Republican attorney general under the George W Bush administration, has announced his endorsement of Kamala Harris.

"As the United States approaches a critical election, 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, who served as the US's 80th attorney general from 2005 to 2007, wrote in an article for Politico.

"For that reason, though I'm a Republican, I've decided to support Kamala Harris for president."

Gonzales said Trump's actions contravened "fidelity to the rule of law", including the then president's involvement in the January 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill.

Pointing to the "intoxicating" nature of power and how Trump appears unlikely to "respect the power of the presidency in all instances", Gonzales wrote:

"Perhaps the most revealing example relates to Trump's conduct on Jan 6, 2021, when he encouraged his followers to march to our nation's capital in order to challenge the certification of Joe Biden's electoral victory."

Gonzales continued: "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 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."