Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nev.) is on the brink of being added to a growing list of Republicans who have endorsed, unendorsed and then re-endorsed Donald Trump.
In early October, after a lewd and vulgar audio recording from 2005 surfaced of Trump saying he can “grab” women “by the pussy” because he is famous, Heck renounced his support for the Republican presidential nominee, saying he could “no longer look past” his pattern of behavior.
“I believe our only option is to ask Mr. Trump to step down,” he said at an Oct. 8 rally, drawing boos from a crowd of Republican voters.
On Tuesday, however, Heck, who is running for Senate in Nevada, backpedaled yet again. In an interview with KSNV NBC Las Vegas, he was asked who he would vote for on Nov. 8.
“Well, I can tell you I’m not voting for Hillary Clinton,” Heck said. “But, you know, we still have six days before I walk into the booth. ... We’re going to wait to see what happens. Again, we’re working through it. On Nov. 8, I’ll have a decision.”
Given previous comments, Heck’s reconsideration of Trump is something truly remarkable. Just last month, Heck said, “My wife, my daughters, my mom, my sister and all women deserve better. All Americans deserve better.”
Asked by KSNV NBC Las Vegas if Trump is qualified to be president, Heck said “according to our Constitution he is.”
“I think that if you meet the Constitutional qualifications and you’re selected by the Republican Party, then you’re qualified to be president,” Heck said.
“I think that between the two candidates, that Donald Trump will be a good commander in chief, should he be elected president,” he added.
See Heck’s full interview with KSNV NBC Las Vegas here.
UPDATE: Nov. 2 ― MSNBC reported Wednesday that Heck’s office released a statement saying Heck has not changed his stance on Trump.
“My position on the presidential race has not changed,” Heck’s statement said, according to MSNBC. “I was asked a very specific question about the role of commander-in-chief, which I answered as a member of the armed forces.”
Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar,rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.
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