Military officials debating speaking out against Trump but wary of retribution: Former Pence adviser

A national security official during the Trump administration and adviser to Mike Pence said some military officials are wary of speaking out against former President Donald Trump because they are worried about politicizing the military and retribution.

Olivia Troye told ABC News that she's been speaking to other military leaders and Cabinet officials who served under Trump who are debating speaking out against Trump following comments made by John Kelly, a former four-star Marine general and former chief of staff to Trump, who told The New York Times that Trump had told him multiple times Adolf Hitler had "done some good things."

"In conversations I've had with military leaders who have served in the Trump administration, they are weighing the following on whether to go on the record against Trump: is it hurtful or helpful to the military and does it politicize them even more?" Troye, who is now a vocal supporter of Vice President Kamala Harris and spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, said.

"That's what a lot of them are weighing because they're concerned about what the future of the military looks like if Trump comes back," Troye said.

Kelly also called the former president a fascist in an interview with the Times.

"Well, looking at the definition of fascism: It's a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy," Kelly told The Times.

Troye said these former Trump officials are also concerned about their "livelihoods."

"I am talking to former Cabinet officials from Trump's Cabinet – they have seen what it looks like from people like me and others – security-wise and the threats we endure along the way, and that's also part of the equation. What it looks like for them and their families and how to stay safe in this environment."

"They are asking: 'how would we afford security for our family'?"

Troye said she has to pay for her personal security and it's been a "very big drain on me and my family." Troye said it has put her in debt.

"It's monumental to see military leaders, intelligence community, people like myself getting involved in this way, because it's not traditionally what we do…we don't serve through a partisan lens," Troye added. "They are willing to put their careers and reputations on the line and it comes with a lot of backlash."

Trump's campaign has hit back against Kelly and other officials who are criticizing the former president.

"John Kelly has totally beclowned himself with these debunked stories he has fabricated because he failed to serve his President well while working as Chief of Staff and currently suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome," spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.

Troye said Trump's alleged praise of Hitler is in line with his "ongoing admiration of authoritarian and dictators." She echoed warnings from other former Republican officials that Trump would install loyalists around him if elected again:

"Those guardrails will be gone. ... I'm having a tough time understanding why people still think that the norms that we're used to about Congress, Justice, the Supreme Court, the executive branch – why they think Trump will abide by any of that because he's shown his complete disregard for government institutions. A lot of these people that will be serving with him were on board and behaved that way. It was the guard rails that were there the first time around that kept them in check."

ABC News' Tal Axelrod contributed to this report.

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