- RAWSTORY.COM - Raw Story - 19/08/2024 17:42

Conservative judge reveals why he's supporting a Democrat for the first time ever

Retired conservative jurist J. Michael Luttig has penned a statement outlining why he's supporting Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Luttig, who has a history of detailing the legal cases against Donald Trump, is a long-time conservative who advised former Vice President Mike Pence on Trump's plot to stop the 2020 election certification. He confesses that he has never voted for a Democrat to be president and that Harris will be his first. “In the presidential election of 2024, there is only one political party and one candidate for the presidency that can claim the mantle of defender and protector of America’s Democracy, the Constitution, and the Rule of Law,” Luttig says in his statement published by CNN.com. Read Also: A criminologist explains why half of America does not care about Trump's crimes“As a result, I will unhesitatingly vote for the Democratic Party’s candidate for the Presidency of the United States, Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris," he explains. Luttig has long been a critic of Trump, but he has remained the conservative GOP loyalist throughout. In this case, he argues that partisanship must be set aside to stop a "singularly unfit" person like Trump from returning to the executive branch. “In voting for Vice President Harris, I assume that her public policy views are vastly different from my own,” Luttig continues, “but I am indifferent in this election as to her policy views on any issues other than America’s Democracy, the Constitution, and the Rule of Law, as I believe all Americans should be.”Luttig's statement goes on to say that Trump's claims are "knowingly false" and that he has likely led millions of Americans to lose faith in the election system. “Many Americans – especially young Americans, tragically – have even begun to question whether constitutional democracy is the best form of self-government for America," Luttig writes. “The time for America’s choosing has come,” he says. “It is time for all Americans to stand and affirm whether they believe in American Democracy, the Constitution, and the Rule of Law, and want for America the same – or whether they do not.”Finally, when speaking to CNN, the conservative jurist became emotional and cited his faith, saying that it frequently influences his decisions in life“In my faith, we believe that we will one day answer for our wrongs. I have always tried to live my life in anticipation of that day. Imperfectly, to be sure. But I have tried,” Luttig explained. “My endorsement of the Vice President was the right thing to do. It would have been wrong for me to stay silent, and I believe I would have one day had to answer for that silence."Read the full endorsement here.