Ex-Defense Sec. Leon Panetta endorses Hillary Clinton
Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Thursday said he has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.
"I've endorsed Hillary Clinton, and I also help provide advice on defense and foreign policy issues," Panetta confirmed on MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports."
Panetta, who served in the Obama administration with Clinton, said the two criteria that the next president must meet is to unite a divided Washington and to be a world leader.
"My view is that Hillary Clinton probably has the best credentials in terms of those two areas that I discussed. But clearly, other candidates on the Republican side have to show that they are willing to address those two issues as well," Panetta said.
The next president must be able to deal with other world leaders and to represent U.S. national security interests abroad, he said.
Panetta served as secretary of defense from 2011 until 2013, which is when Clinton was secretary of state. Before that, he was director of the CIA where he oversaw the Osama bin Laden raid in May 2011. He also served as chief of staff to President Bill Clinton from 1994 until 1997 and as director of the Office of Management and Budget before that.
Panetta switched from being a Republican to a Democrat in the early 1970s.
