When a group of more than 120 retired U.S. military members released a letter Monday raising questions about the legitimacy of last year’s election, Granite Staters spotted a familiar name:
Retired brigadier general and GOP U.S. Senate candidate Don Bolduc.
The letter, which criticizes the Biden administration on issues from border security to China policy, also suggests the 2020 election’s results are in doubt.
“The FBI and Supreme Court must act swiftly when election irregularities are surfaced and not ignore them as was done in 2020,” it reads in part. “Without fair and honest elections that accurately reflect the ‘will of the people’ our Constitutional Republic is lost.”
Bolduc, who has already announced his candidacy in the 2022 U.S. Senate race, repeated his critique to NHJournal.
“I certainly do believe there was some lack of election integrity, and there was voter fraud that needs to be policed up,” Bolduc said Wednesday. “75 million people don’t believe it was fair.”
The letter also suggested President Joe Biden is suffering from dementia. “The mental and physical condition of the Commander in Chief cannot be ignored,” it reads. Bolduc offered his own diagnosis.
“The symptoms are there, we can see it,” Bolduc said. “You can see it in his eyes, there’s a blankness sometimes in his eyes.”
Jim Golby, an expert in civil-military relations, told Politico the letter is a “shameful effort to use their rank and the military’s reputation for such a gross and blatant partisan attack.”
Retired Adm. Mike Mullen, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, added he believes the letter will end up hurting the military.
“I think it hurts the military and, by extension, it hurts the country,” Mullen said.
Bolduc said he believes the voting machine company, Dominion, somehow tampered with the voting results.
“It’s not a fair process when a foreign company owns machines that count our votes,” Bolduc said.
Theories about Dominion tampering with the election have been debunked, and the company has filed numerous lawsuits against media companies and individuals who spread the theory. Conservative outlet Newsmax recently settled with Dominion and apologized. Sidney Powell, one of Trump’s attorneys who initially spread the Dominion theories, said in court records that no reasonable person could believe her statements.
Bolduc dismissed the legal actions. “Lawsuits aren’t true,” he said. “Our legal system is based off money and power.”
However, the general splits from his fellow Republicans in supporting Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney. She was ousted from her leadership role in the House GOP caucus on Wednesday for criticizing Trump and his unsubstantiated claims the election was stolen.
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinions,” Bolduc said. “I don’t think it’s wise for Republicans to go down that road [of removing her].”
New Hampshire Democrats denounced Bolduc for signing the letter and NHDP Chair Ray Buckley wants Gov. Chris Sununu to join them.
“It’s not surprising that Don Bolduc signed this despicable letter spreading Trump’s Big Lie,” Buckley said. “As the leader of the New Hampshire Republican Party, Chris Sununu should speak out against General Bolduc’s dangerous lies and make clear that these conspiracy theories have no place in our politics.”
Bolduc lost the 2020 Republican primary for Senate to Bryant “Corky” Messner, who in turn lost to incumbent Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Bolduc is early in the run for the seat currently occupied by Sen. Maggie Hassan. Hassan is a top GOP target, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee is lobbying for Sununu to enter the race.
Bolduc, a retired general who served in Afghanistan, is known for his outspoken, and sometimes unconventional views. Last year he expressed skepticism of the potential COVID-19 vaccines and suggested the vaccine contained microchips. In a Youtube video, Bolduc made reference to a supposed plan to implant some sort of tracking microchips into people.
“The only bracelets anyone is going to put on me are handcuffs because I’m fighting for my individual rights, my constitutional rights. And the only chip that’s going in me is a Dorito,” Bolduc said in the May video.
When asked about the microchip statement, Bolduc said Bill Gates, retired founder of Microsoft, wants to implant people with tracking microchips.
“This is Bill Gates saying we should put chips inside people now. That’s a dangerous violation of my constitutional right,” Bolduc said when asked about it last year.
Now, Bolduc says, he’s vaccinated against COVID-19, a decision he made in order to be able to visit family members.
“I’m not an anti-vaxxer, and I’m not a pro-vaxxer,” he said. “It was my choice.”
