Retired Four-Star Generals Endorse Clinton

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has won the endorsement of two retired Four-Star Generals.

Gens. Bob Sennewald and David Maddox said they have never endorsed a presidential candidate, reported The Hill. However, fear of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump compelled them to speak out.

“Having each served over 34 years and retired as an Army 4-star general, we each have worked closely with America’s strongest allies, both in NATO and throughout Asia,” the two said in a joint statement.

“Our votes have always been private, and neither of us has ever previously lent his name or voice to a presidential candidate. Having studied what is at stake for this country and the alternatives we have now, we see only one viable leader, and will be voting this November for Secretary Hillary Clinton.”

Trump has been a critic of NATO countries that don’t pay their agreed-upon share of the cost for security in areas like eastern Europe, and has threatened to reduce U.S. involvement in the region unless debts are paid.

“We don’t have the luxury of doing what we used to do; we don’t have the luxury, and it is a luxury,” Trump said in a July interview with The New York Times. “We need other people to reimburse us much more substantially than they are giving right now because we are only paying for a fraction of the cost.”

He later added: “You can’t forget the bills. They have an obligation to make payments. Many NATO nations are not making payments … That’s a big thing. You can’t say forget that. “

Meanwhile, Clinton has won the endorsements of several Republican foreign policy hawks who worked for Republican administrations under presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, according to Politico.

But Trump has also won support from a few Republican hawks, including former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

Sources: The Hill, The New York Times, Politico / Photo credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr