'Heed his warning': More than a dozen ex-Trump officials back John Kelly's latest claims

More than a dozen former Donald Trump administration officials are backing up former White House chief of staff John Kelly's claims that their one-time boss is a fascist.

Politico reports that the former Trump officials released a letter on Friday affirming Kelly's description of Trump as a man who wants to rule the country as a dictator and they asserted that "this is who Donald Trump is."

"We applaud General Kelly for highlighting in stark details the danger of a second Trump term," the letter states. "Like General Kelly, we did not take the decision to come forward lightly. We are all lifelong Republicans who served our country. However, there are moments in history where it becomes necessary to put country over party. This is one of those moments. Everyone should heed General Kelly’s warning.”

ALSO READ: Kamala's secret weapon against Trump: The F-word that's changing everything

The letter was signed, among others, by Kevin Carroll, Kelly's former senior counselor; former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff Miles Taylor; and Olivia Troye, the former national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence.

An unprecedented number of former Trump officials have refused to endorse him for a second term by arguing that he is unfit for office, including former Vice President Mike Pence, former national security adviser John Bolton, and former Defense Secretary Mark Esper.