New England leaders, officials react to Kelly’s accusations against former President Trump

DEDHAM, Mass. — Recent interviews by John Kelly, a former high-ranking official under former President Donald Trump, with the New York Times and Atlantic magazine are drawing mixed reactions from state officials, lawmakers, and party leaders in New England.

Kelly, a decorated retired Marine General and previous Chief of Staff to Trump, gave an on-the-record interview to the New York Times published Tuesday, in which he said his former boss was “certainly an authoritarian” who met the definition of a “fascist.”

In an interview with The Atlantic, Kelly, one of Trump’s former closest confidants, claimed Trump once said he wanted military generals like those who served Adolf Hitler.

On Wednesday night, Trump, who has been openly critical of the former general, blasted Kelly on Truth Social, saying: “The story about the Soldiers was A LIE, as are numerous other stories he told. Even though I shouldn’t be wasting my time with him, I always feel it’s necessary to hit back in pursuit of THE TRUTH.”

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung also fired back, saying Kelly was offering “debunked stories,” had “beclowned” himself and was suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, Fox News reported.

Kelly’s interview has sparked intense dialogue across both political parties.

While supporters of Trump call the interview “a last-ditch effort” to villainize the former president as Election Day nears, Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, took the time to speak publicly about Kelly’s claims.

“I believe Donald Trump is a danger to the well-being and security of the United States,” Harris said during a CNN Town Hall Wednesday evening.

Massachusetts Republican National Committeewoman Janet Fogarty called the timing of Kelly’s comments “suspicious.”

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“The timing of [Kelly’s] statements, just two weeks before the election, is suspicious and appears opportunistic,” Fogarty said in a statement to Boston 25 News. “If he has held these views for so long, why didn’t he voice them right after leaving the White House?”

“This is a last-ditch effort to villainize President Trump by bureaucrats and career politicians who have been attacking Trump ever since he came down the escalator nine years ago and announced he was running for President,” Fogarty said. “It reflects the desperation of Kamala Harris’s struggling campaign and I believe the public is no longer buying it.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Trump supporter and son of slain U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, said in a social media post on Wednesday that Harris’ speech -- which he termed “inflammatory poison” -- drawing comparisons between Trump and Hitler “inspires assassins.”

“This is the kind of inflammatory poison that divides our nation and inspires assassins,” he said in a post on X, reposting a video of Harris’s impromptu press conference outside the vice president’s residence in Washington on Wednesday where she compared Trump to the once-Nazi leader.

“It’s particularly ironic since Biden/Harris have just pushed through DoD Directive 5240.01 giving the Pentagon power — for the first time in history — to use lethal force to kill Americans on U.S. soil who protest government policies,” Kennedy said in his post. “If you want to understand a politician, the words from her mouth have little relevance. Look at her feet.”

A House of Representatives bipartisan committee on Monday released its report on the assassination attempt on Trump, saying that the July shooting at a Pennsylvania rally was “preventable and should not have happened.”

Meanwhile, members of the state’s all-Democrat delegation including Representatives Jake Auchincloss of Newton and Seth Moulton of Salem, who are both Marine Corps veterans, said they took issue with the former president’s suggestions about using the military against U.S. citizens.

Trump in a Sunday interview on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” suggested using the National Guard or the military on Election Day to combat what he described as potential chaos from “the enemy from within” — a group Trump said includes “radical left lunatics,” The Hill reported. Trump has said he does not expect his supporters to cause chaos on Election Day.

“They certainly degrade morale, and they politicize an institution that must be above politics,” Auchincloss said of Trump’s past remarks. “It’s the kind of thing Putin does in Russia, or Nicolas Maduro would do in Venezuela. It’s not the kind of thing that America does.”

“What’s amazing is how [Trump’s] supporters, including colleagues in Congress who--make no mistake, know better--continue to enable this anti-American criminal,” Moulton said in a statement to Boston 25 News.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, said neither Kelly’s nor Trump’s comments have changed his plans to vote for the former president.

Sununu said when candidates get into the final weeks before the election, “It’s all about results, so of course you’re going to get salacious things said.”

“We’ve heard a lot of extreme things about Donald Trump, from Donald Trump,” Sununu told CNN. “It’s kind of par for the course. It’s really, unfortunately, with a guy like that, it’s kind of baked into the vote at this point.”

“Those last swing voters are just going to kind of push towards ‘What’s going to get a little ease on my family, a little ease on the cost of living,’” Sununu said.

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said it should be a sign when long-time Republican names abandon Trump, as some former GOP leaders have done.

“Mike Pence is not going to vote for Donald Trump,” Sanders said. “Dick Cheney, one of the most conservative vice-presidents in America’s history and his daughter, Liz Cheney, are not voting for Donald Trump. Mitt Romney, 2012 Republican candidate for president is not voting for Donald Trump.”

The Cheneys have said they intend to vote for Harris. Romney previously said he will not vote for Trump, but has not indicated if he will vote for Harris.

Pence said earlier this year he would not endorse Trump, but has not explicitly ruled out voting for him.

Likewise, former Republican president George W. Bush says he does not plan to endorse a candidate and does not intend to discuss how he will vote.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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