'It’s dangerous': Ex-military adviser slams 'reckless' GOP tactics in key swing state

Former Secretary of Veterans Affairs adviser Michael Embrich accused the Republican Party Wednesday of working to disenfranchise military voters in a Rolling Stone editorial released Wednesday, .

Embrich criticized one among many new pieces of litigation pushed by the GOP to try to limit voting options or cut down voter rolls in battleground states across the country.

The lawsuit that enraged Embrich was one filed by Pennsylvania Republican lawmakers suing to eliminate a more than decade-long exemption from state voter ID laws for overseas servicemembers voting by mail — which a federal judge has already rejected.

"The timing of this lawsuit — filed just as over 25,000 mail-in ballots were sent out to military voters in Pennsylvania — was reckless," wrote Embrich.

"The six Pennsylvania GOP congressmen behind it, all of whom refused to certify the 2020 election, claimed that the state’s exemption from voter ID rules for military personnel invites fraud," he wrote. "The lawmakers’ effort was backed by the America First Legal Foundation, the nonprofit led by former Trump White House aide Stephen Miller, which claimed that, under current law, 'bad actors, both foreign and domestic' could 'seek to benefit from the successful registration of fraudulent voters to cast illegal ballots.'"

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Embrich said he knows all too well how badly voters in the service need special consideration — because he himself believes he may have been disenfranchised in a past election.

"I was stationed in Florida and away from my home state of New Jersey," he wrote. "I sent in my mail-in ballot and voted for Al Gore, believing I was participating in a cornerstone of democracy. However, as the recount chaos unfolded — with hanging chads, legal battles, and a controversial Supreme Court decision — I was left wondering if my vote had even been counted."

Ultimately, he said, "If we fail to protect voters now, we risk undermining the very foundations of our democracy. We owe it to our troops, our veterans, and our nation to ensure that every vote counts — no matter where it’s cast. Come Election Day, let’s make sure those who tried to suppress military votes regret it at the polls."

Embrich warned voters Republican efforts on behalf of former President Donald Trump could have immediate consequences.

"This isn’t just undemocratic — it’s dangerous," wrote Embrich. "The potential for another Jan. 6-style crisis should serve as a wake-up call to every American who values free and fair elections."