Former CIA director weighs in on Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton
Former CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden (Ret.) slammed Donald Trump for his ideas about ISIS, and said that some of the things he said have even elevated the jihadists.
"Some of the language that Mr. Trump has used after the attack has taken -- some things were bad, don't get me wrong -- but in a sense were a tactical success for our enemy," Gen. Hayden said in an interview with "CBS This Morning." "But in the language that he has used to describe them, he has elevated them to this realm where they can claim strategic success."
Hayden also counts himself among the top Republican former national security officials who cannot bring themselves to cast their votes in November for the presumptive GOP nominee.
"What evidence I have of his thinking about foreign policy things suggests courses of action that I think would be destructive for our country, our allies and the world," he said.
Hayden had warmer words for Trump's opponent for the presidency, Hillary Clinton, saying, "I think she might be a little stronger than the current president."
He praised Clinton's openness to intervention and making difficult decisions in complicated world hot spots such as Syria and Libya.
"...You know, within the administration, she, David Petraeus, Leon Panetta pushed strongly for action," Gen. Hayden said.
Still, he stopped short of endorsing her, though, expressing some concern over her potential picks for the Supreme Court if she's elected.
After the nominating conventions, however, Hayden predicted more in the national security would back away from Trump.
"Once we have two clear nominees, a lot of people are gonna be asked a lot of questions and I think they're gonna answer very candidly," Hayden said. "I don't know that you get to the Hank Paulson, Brent Scowcroft, 'I'm voting for the Democrat,' but I do think you're gonna get an awful lot of folks as,'I can't work over here.'"