Ayotte: Trump not always honest, trustworthy
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) said Monday that while Donald Trump speaks his mind, she doesn’t believe he’s always been honest and trustworthy.
“I think that he, you know, he certainly hasn’t had the big public issue as Hillary Clinton. Has he always been? No, I don’t think so,” she told the Union Leader when asked if the her party’s presidential nominee is “honest and trustworthy.”
{mosads}Ayotte added that “in some ways he has been in terms of what he thinks, but you know I can’t speak to his whole history, so I don’t know every single thing that he’s done.”
The New Hampshire Republican, who faces a difficult reelection bid, has walked a fine line on Trump, arguing Monday there’s a “big difference” between supporting the billionaire by voting for him and endorsing him.
“This race I’ll be voting for our nominee, but I’m not endorsing. I have some disagreements with him, which I’ve been very clear on,” she said. “I’m glad to get his endorsement, thank him, that’s fine, but I think the issue is I disagree with him on a number of fronts.”
The question on Trump’s honestly comes after New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan — a Democrat who is trying to unseat Ayotte in November — made national headlines after she repeatedly refused to say if she thought Hillary Clinton was honest or trustworthy.
Though her campaign quickly clarified that she believes the Democratic presidential nominee is both of those things, Ayotte said Hassan’s remarks show she isn’t willing to buck national Democrats.
“Where is she going to stand up to her own party when it’s necessary for New Hampshire?” Ayotte asked during the Union Leader sit-down. “I will. I’ve done it.”
Republicans are defending 24 Senate seats in November, including a handful in purple states, such as New Hampshire, that were previously carried by President Obama.
Democrats need to net five seats — or four if they also retain the White House — to take back the majority. They’ve tried to link vulnerable GOP incumbents to Trump, hoping he’ll drag down congressional incumbents.
Hassan and Ayotte are currently locked in a tight race, with Democrats viewing New Hampshire as a top pickup opportunity.
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