Despite a recent squabble with Hillary Clinton and her campaign over her use of a private email server, former Secretary of State Colin Powell announced Tuesday he was endorsing the Democratic nominee for president. That’s according to a report in the Queens, New York daily Newsday, which recounts statements made by the Republican politician and career military man to a crowd of 1,000 people at the Long Island Association luncheon. Despite his party affiliation, Powell seems keen on seeing Clinton get into the White House instead of rival Donald Trump:
“She is smart; she is capable; she was a good Secretary of State,” Powell said. “She is balanced, she has temperament and no matter what anyone says she has stamina… I think she is fully qualified to serve as the president of the United States and will serve it with distinction.”
Emails notwithstanding, Powell has been very support of Clinton in recent memory. According to a leaked email to his successor Condoleezza Rice, Powell purportedly dubbed the Benghazi hearings a “stupid witch hunt” and praised Clinton’s handling of the complicated situation.
As for Trump, who allegedly said “b*tch” in a 2006 reference to Rice, Powell didn’t have much to say about the Republican nominee that was positive:
“He has insulted America in one way almost every day,” Powell said of Trump. “He has insulted Latino Americans. He has insulted African Americans. He has insulted women. He has insulted his own party. He has insulted our allies around the world one by one. He has insulted veterans.”
Seeing as how Powell also supposedly described Trump as a “national disgrace” in another batch of leaked emails, Tuesday’s remarks on Long Island aren’t all that surprising.
(Via Newsday)
