Endorsement queries

The endorsement of Donald Trump by both Sen. Tom Cotton and Gov. Sarah Sanders raises two important questions.

First, given Cotton’s military background, how could he endorse a candidate who has exhibited a blatant disregard for national security? Most Americans cannot begin to understand the damage Trump’s intentional mishandling of highly classified documents may have done to U.S. national security. That is understandable given how few people, military or civilian, have ever dealt with top secret/sensitive compartmented information documents.

But Cotton fully understands the implications of the enemies of the U.S. obtaining the data contained in those documents and the incalculable damage that could inflict on our military and intelligence services. He knows the dangers exposure of those documents pose to the true patriots serving in those services. He also knows that any military or intelligence officer would be punished severely for what Trump did, and rightfully so.

Having been entrusted with classified documents/systems on numerous occasions throughout my military and civilian career, I could never endorse anyone who treats that responsibility with arrogant recklessness. So, Senator Cotton, why did you endorse Trump when other good Republican candidates with no security violations were still in the race?

Second, there was no mention in either endorsement of Trump’s allegations that he was cheated during the 2020 election. Trump has led millions of Americans to question the integrity of U.S. elections. That’s not a minor thing. Fair elections are a major tenet of our republic. Exit polls in Iowa and New Hampshire confirm that large numbers of Americans believe Trump’s allegations. So Governor Huckabee and Senator Cotton, if you are going to endorse Trump, don’t you owe us a real answer? We need truth from you, not the deflections politicians usually offer when confronted with this question.

Do you believe Trump was cheated?

KENNETH CARROLL Fayetteville