Ex-Missile Officers Ask Congress to Limit Trump's Nuclear Ability

A group of former nuclear launch officers are calling on Congress to curb President Donald Trump's ability to fire nuclear weapons.

"In the final weeks of the presidential election, we sounded our alarm over Donald Trump's fitness to serve as commander-in-chief, with absolute authority over the nation's nuclear arsenal," the 17 former officers, now members of nuclear disarmament group Global Zero, wrote to Congress in an open letter Thursday. "One year into the Trump presidency, our alarm has only intensified and we must raise our voices again."

They add: "The president has had ample opportunity to educate and humble himself to the grave responsibilities of his office. Instead, he consistently shows himself to be easily baited, stubborn in his ignorance of world politics and diplomacy, and quick to brandish nuclear threats. The reality of this presidency is worse than we feared."

Trump's rhetoric towards North Korea of its nuclear weapons program has the group particularly worried, noting his "nuclear button" tweet and his "fire and fury" threat last summer.

"Trump's inflammatory rhetoric has put the United States on a collision course with North Korea," they wrote. "Worse, it appears the president is operating under the belief that these threats of nuclear war are working; we can only expect this behavior will continue."

The officers end with an urge to Republicans and Democrats to "come together to reform the system."

"We and our nation cannot abide being hostages to the mood swings of a petulant and foolish commander-in-chief," they wrote. "No individual, especially Donald Trump, should hold the absolute power to destroy nations. That is a clear lesson of this presidency and one that we, as former stewards of the launch keys, embrace with full conviction."

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