Could Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick come from the Pentagon’s alumni?
On Tuesday, the New York Post reported that the presumed Republican presidential nominee has begun whittling down his list of potential running mates for this fall. Along with the expected slate of lawmakers and advisers, the newspaper included retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as a possible pick.
Flynn, a retired soldier who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, last served in the military as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency from spring 2012 to fall 2014. He has worked as an adviser on Trump’s primary campaign in recent months.
Selecting the former high-ranking military official with 33 years of intelligence experience could boost Trump’s weak national security and foreign affairs background, something that pundits have pointed to as a potential credibility gap in a race against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this fall.
And the 57-year-old Flynn has been a frequent critic of Clinton and President Obama in recent years.
He was reportedly forced out of his role after sparring with Obama advisers on a range of policy decisions, and has called for Clinton to suspend her presidential campaign while justice officials review whether she and her aides mishandled classified information during her time in Obama’s Cabinet.
And Flynn has repeatedly warned about the deteriorating readiness of the U.S. military, a message that Trump often echoes during his campaign speeches.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Senate Armed Services Committee member Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., are also rumored to be on Trump’s short list.
Could Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick come from the Pentagon’s alumni?
On Tuesday, the New York Post reported that the presumed Republican presidential nominee has begun whittling down his list of potential running mates for this fall. Along with the expected slate of lawmakers and advisers, the newspaper included retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as a possible pick.
Flynn, a retired soldier who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, last served in the military as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency from spring 2012 to fall 2014. He has worked as an adviser on Trump’s primary campaign in recent months.
Selecting the former high-ranking military official with 33 years of intelligence experience could boost Trump’s weak national security and foreign affairs background, something that pundits have pointed to as a potential credibility gap in a race against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this fall.
And the 57-year-old Flynn has been a frequent critic of Clinton and President Obama in recent years.
He was reportedly forced out of his role after sparring with Obama advisers on a range of policy decisions, and has called for Clinton to suspend her presidential campaign while justice officials review whether she and her aides mishandled classified information during her time in Obama’s Cabinet.
And Flynn has repeatedly warned about the deteriorating readiness of the U.S. military, a message that Trump often echoes during his campaign speeches.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Senate Armed Services Committee member Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., are also rumored to be on Trump’s short list.
Read More: Military Times
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