In what is believed to be the highest-ranking defection from the GOP so far, former Bush and Reagan-appointee Richard Armitage says he will vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton over Republican Donald Trump,
Politico reports.
"If Donald Trump is the nominee, I would vote for Hillary Clinton," the deputy secretary of state for President George W. Bush and assistant Defense secretary for President Ronald Reagan said.
"He doesn't appear to be a Republican," Armitage told Politico. "He doesn't appear to want to learn about the issues. So I'm going to vote for Mrs. Clinton."
Other high-ranking Republicans have been publicly critical of Trump over his rhetoric and some of his positions, including calling for a ban on Muslim immigration and building a border wall and making Mexico pay for it. Some have even said they might not be able to vote for him, but none as high-ranking as Armitage have stated publicly that they would vote for Clinton instead.
Armitage said he does not know whether more in his party will support Clinton, but told Politico that many of his conservative friends who have backgrounds in national security "are confused" having to pick between Clinton and Trump and are not sure who to vote for.
"They're in kind of a fog," Armitage said.
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