No vote for Donald Trump: Says, GOP Senator and Former National Security Officials

Washington, Aug 09: Republican Senator Susan Collins says she will not vote for the party’s presidential nominee, Donald Trump, saying he does not represent Republican values or the “inclusive approach to governing” the country needs.

Collins, who was elected to the Senate in 1996, wrote in an opinion piece in The Washington Post that her view of Trump as unfit for the presidency is based on his disregard for the principle of treating other people with respect.

“Instead, he opts to mock the vulnerable and inflame prejudices by attacking ethnic and religious minorities,” Collins said.

She also expressed worry that if elected Trump’s “lack of self-restraint and his barrage of ill-informed comments” would make the world more dangerous.

“It is reckless for a presidential candidate to publicly raise doubts about honoring treaty commitments with our allies. Mr. Trump’s tendency to lash out when challenged further escalates the possibility of disputes spinning dangerously out of control.”

There was no comment from the Trump campaign Monday night about the senator’s statement.  But the campaign did respond to a letter from 50 former national security and foreign policy officials who served under previous Republican presidents and said they, too, would not vote for Trump.

The group that includes former Homeland Security Secretaries Michael Chertoff and Tom Ridge, former CIA chief Michael Hayden, and former Director National Intelligence and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte say they know what it takes to be president and Trump lacks the character and experience for the job.