Former NSA and CIA Director Michael Hayden, who earlier this year joined more than 50 top security officials in writing a letter opposing Donald Trump's campaign, said Monday he believes those who signed the letter now have a duty to support the new president-elect, and Trump should be open to hearing their advice.
"I think the people who signed the letter have a duty to the president-elect, duty to the ritual and duty to the process," the retired four-star general told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program.
"But the president-elect and vice president-elect and his team cannot demand that they recant what they believe before offering advice going forward."
There are many people who have strong foreign policy experience, whether or not they are Republicans, said Hayden, but so-called "never Trump" letters were about the election.
"This is about the man who will be president," said Hayden, "So, I do hope he widens his circle. He doesn't have to hire these people, but to widen the circle so that he hears the richness of views that are available."
In August, Hayden, along with former Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte and former Homeland Security secretaries Michael Chertoff and Tom Ridge, signed their letter, saying none of them would vote for Trump, as they believed he would be "the most reckless president in American history."
Now that Trump has been elected, it's time to present the world to Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence "as the intelligence community sees it," said Hayden, and to challenge them so they go forward "based on reality and not upon some abstract ideology."
Hayden said he did find Trump and President Barack Obama appearing to get along with each other last week, and he thinks the country will get past the protests quickly, and Trump will have to make decisions on important matters such as NATO and Iran.