McMullin calls Iraq war a mistake

by Jesse Byrnes - 08/09/16 9:22 AM ET

Independent Evan McMullin enters 2016 race. Watch live: https://t.co/wnUA6c0qNb https://t.co/PvgftIGfE6

— CNN (@CNN) August 9, 2016

Independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin on Tuesday called former President George W. Bush’s decision to enter Iraq a mistake.

“I served in Iraq, and I’m proud of my service there, but I believe that that was a mistake. After that, we made many mistakes in Iraq,” McMullin, 40, who served as a CIA operative from 1999 to 2010, told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

{mosads}”I don’t think that served our best interests, but I understand it’s more complicated than people imagine,” he continued, praising Bush in general for national security decisions made after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“George W. Bush kept this country safe for his entire presidency after 9/11, and he paid a political price for that,” McMullin said. “President Obama is doing the opposite of that.”

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has criticized Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton during the campaign for voting for the Iraq War, which both now call a mistake.

McMullin also slammed Trump, saying the businessman wanted to “pit us against each other.”

“This is the work of our adversaries. This is the work of Vladimir Putin.”

McMullin told CNN his campaign was “one of unification of the American people.”

The former House Republican Conference policy aide launched his longshot presidential bid Monday. He insisted in TV interviews he wasn’t merely playing the role of spoiler to Trump.

“There are a multitude of ways to get on ballots in the United States. We’re pursuing all of them,” McMullin said on CNN’s “New Day,” saying his team has spent “months” studying the issue.

“We will be on a broad number of state ballots across the country. We hope to be on all 50, in fact,” he added.

McMullin said on MSNBC that he could petition to get on the ballot in around 20 states, despite deadlines looming or having passed in other states. “We intend to have broad ballot access,” he said.

McMullin, a Mormon who was born in Utah and attended Brigham Young University, said his campaign headquarters would be based in his home state, a traditionally red state polls have shown as a potential Clinton pickup.

“There are a lot of people there who are highly dissatisfied with the options they have in this election,” McMullin said. “That’s not just a Utah thing, that’s an American thing.”

“We’re in this to win this. We are going to fight and scrap and claw all the way to the end,” McMullin said.

“Trump is a weak candidate and he is losing badly against one of the most unfit Democratic candidates to appear before the American people in quite some time,” McMullin said. “Donald Trump is responsible for Hillary’s success.”

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