Both Clinton and Trump look at military leaders as possible running-mates
WASHINTON – Reports from many media sources have said that the Hillary Clinton’s campaign are vetting James G. Stavridis, a retired four-star Navy admiral and native of Palm Beach as a possible vice presidential candidate. He has served as the 16th supreme allied commander at NATO, as a possible running mate, according to a person with knowledge of the vetting process.
The New York Times, is reporting that aids close to Clinton, the former secretary of state, say she was always likely to have someone with military experience on her vice-presidential short list, and Mr. Stavridis, currently the dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University in Boston, fits the description.
While in his position in the Navy, he four years as NATO’s supreme allied commander, he oversaw operations in the Middle East — Afghanistan, Libya and Syria — as well as in the Balkans and piracy off the coast of Africa.
In 2012, Mr. Stavridis was investigated for having improperly used a military aircraft to fly with his wife to an exclusive party in Burgundy, France with winemakers.
He was later cleared of misconduct after a long Pentagon investigation into his travel and expenses, including trips he took with his wife, daughter and mother. The Pentagon inspector general’s report ultimately concluded that he had failed to exercise sufficient oversight over staff members, and had made several bookkeeping mistakes.
Clinton has a number of possible vice presidential candidates that she has been looking at over the past few weeks. Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, and former Virginia Gov. Tim Kane long thought to be the front-runner.
Meanwhile. Clinton’s Republican rival Donald Trump has also added a military leader to his list of possible a running mate. They have vetted and had talks with retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. In an interview with ABC News over the weekend, Mr. Flynn, a lifelong Democrat, seemed to stumble, offering his support for abortion rights — a view out of lock step with Republican base orthodoxy.
In a phone interview with The New York Times on Tuesday, Trump called Mr. Flynn “a patriot.”
Trump, meanwhile, will also continue his public audition process for possible running mates Tuesday evening, when he is set to appear at a campaign rally in Indiana with Mike Pence, the state’s governor. Also, there are at least three other names on the Trump veep list with old friend Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, the favorite of Trump’s camp is Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, with a couple of wildcards no doubt on the list.
