To the Editor:

Re “Manafort’s Lies Broke Plea Deal, Prosecutors Say” (front page, Nov. 27):

I am a lifelong Republican, having stood with the Republicans through Watergate, Iran-contra and various other scandals. As president of my college Republican Club in 1979-80, I worked to put Ronald Reagan in office, went to his inauguration and cheered when we won the Cold War. In short, I felt myself so thoroughly Republican that I could never imagine myself making the following announcement.

I am no longer a member of the Republican Party. Just as Reagan said, “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, the party left me ,” so I must now conclude that the Republican Party, which is now the party of Donald Trump, has left me.

The present government has done some wonderful things, such as lowering taxes, rebuilding our military, standing up for our European “partners” paying their fair share of our mutual defense, and particularly repudiating certain steps taken by the Obama administration against the interests of Israel.

However, there is one thing that I cannot overlook: The Trump administration is contemptuous of democracy itself, and is being aided and abetted by the Republican members of the House and Senate.