Vilsack makes stop to stump for Clinton
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack made a stop at the Union Grill in Washington to talk to Hillary Clinton supporters Friday.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack made a stop at Union Grill in Washington to talk to Hillary Clinton supporters Friday.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack claimed a Hillary Clinton presidency will mean a “stronger” and “fairer American economy” when he stopped in Washington Friday.
“She has a very, very good plan for rebuilding and revitalizing some of the areas of our country that have not yet fully recovered from the Great Recession – those areas that are going through transition,” he said.
Vilsack, a Pittsburgh native and former Iowa governor, made the stump speech at Union Grill on East Wheeling Street before roughly 70 supporters of the Democratic nominee.
“She wants to invest in advanced manufacturing – precision manufacturing that will allow us to have sophisticated machinery that will be used in an economy that helps to create better-paying jobs,” he said during the roughly 40 minutes he spoke.
Vilsack – who at one point was named as a possible Clinton running mate – also touched on foreign policy during his remarks, contrasting Clinton’s positions with those of her GOP rival Donald Trump’s competence to make decisions in that area.
“You can’t combat terrorism unless you have information about what the terrorists are thinking and doing. How do you get that if you’re walling yourself off from the rest of the world?” Vilsack said.
Chris Zonneveld, 72, of Venetia, said he plans to vote for Clinton, a former secretary of state and New York Senator, because of her experience in public office.
“She’s the most qualified individual we’ve ever had run for president in the last 150 years,” Zonneveld said.
The cabinet member’s visit as a Clinton surrogate came a day after the release of a Quinnipiac University poll showing Clinton with 51 percent of the vote nationwide, 10 points ahead of Trump. Still, the week was marked by questions about whether donors to the Clinton Foundation were granted special access during her tenure as secretary of state.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday “more than half the people from outside the government who met with Clinton while she was secretary of state” donated money to the Clinton Foundation.
A day earlier, the right-wing group Judicial Watch published emails it obtained in a lawsuit it said showed donors to the foundation received special access to Clinton while she was secretary of state.
Responding to a question from an attendee, Vilsack downplayed the access reportedly given to donors to the foundation, saying there was “no indication whatsoever that somebody got favorable treatment” for making contributions.
Susan Bayard, 63, of South Strabane Township, volunteered for Vermont Sen Bernie Sanders’ run for the Democratic nomination but now supports Clinton.
“I would never, under any circumstances, vote for Donald Trump,” she said.