Former CIA boss will not vote for Trump, Clinton

August 21, 2016 WORLD No Comments

Former CIA Director Michael Hayden says he will vote for a third party candidate in the upcoming US presidential election because he is “uncomfortable” with the Democratic and Republican nominees.
“I'm uncomfortable with the nominee of both of the major political parties,” he told the Cats Roundtable radio show on Sunday.
“A vote is taking our sacred suffrage, our chunk of sovereignty, and bestowing it on someone because he or she is worthy, and I'm having trouble getting to that point with either of the major candidates,” he added, in his strongest rebuke against Republican nominee Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
Having served under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, the former spymaster has shown no hesitation in attacking Trump and Clinton throughout the campaign.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump

Hayden, a retired US Air Force four-star general who led the CIA from 2006 to 2009 as well as the NSA from 2006 to 2009, called Trump “incoherent” and a threat to national security.
He has also heavily criticized Clinton for using a private email server to exchange classified data. Nonetheless, he prefers the former first lady to Trump and thinks she is better prepared to run the country.
Hayden’s comments echoes a growing interest for third party candidates among American voters due to Trump and Clinton’s unpopularity.
Currently, Libertarian Gary Jonson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein are running the only third party tickets, trying to make the best of the Clinton and Trump’s historic unpopularity.

Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein

According to Pew Research Center poll released on Thursday, a majority of Americans hold an unfavorable view of Trump, with 55 percent saying he would make a poor or terrible president, while 45 percent saying the same about Clinton.
According to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday, the former secretary of state is supported by 42 percent of likely voters, compared to Trump’s 34 percent.
In a four-way match-up, Johnson snagged 7 percent of support, while Stein bagged 2 percent, marking a sharp increase compared to previous elections.