Former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Thursday became the third high-ranking Republican in the last week to say that he was voting for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in November.
"I’ll be voting for Hillary Clinton with the hope that she can bring Americans together to do the things necessary to strengthen our economy, our environment and our place in the world," Paulson, 70, who served President George W. Bush from 2006 to 2009, said in an op-ed piece in
The Washington Post. "To my Republican friends: I know I’m not alone."
In the last week, Clinton received vote pledges from
Brent Scowcroft, national security adviser to Presidents Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush, and Deputy Secretary of State
Richard Armitage, who served under Bush 43.
But former Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld said Wednesday that "I just can't imagine not" voting for Trump, though he was not endorsing him. He worked in the Ford and Bush 43 administrations.
Paulson, now chairman of the Paulson Institute think tank in Chicago, called Trump's candidacy "a populist hijacking of one of the United States' great political parties.
"The GOP, in putting Trump at the top of the ticket, is endorsing a brand of populism rooted in ignorance, prejudice, fear and isolationism," he added. "This troubles me deeply as a Republican, but it troubles me even more as an American.
"Enough is enough. It’s time to put country before party and say it together: Never Trump."
Paulson, who plans to support down-ballot Republicans in state and congressional races, slammed Trump's business acumen. He cited the developer's bankruptcies and the continued questions surrounding Trump's wealth.
"The tactics he has used in running his business wouldn’t work in running a truly successful company, let alone the most powerful nation on Earth," he said. "Every good businessman or -woman carefully analyzes all the available facts before making a decision.
"Trump repeatedly, blatantly and knowingly makes up or gravely distorts facts to support his positions or create populist divisions.
"Simply put, a Trump presidency is unthinkable," Paulson said, later adding that "when it comes to the presidency, I will not vote for Donald Trump."
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