GOP insider Meg Whitman likely to vote for Clinton
Mega-GOP donor Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett-Packard and a failed California gubernatorial candidate, has indicated that she will vote for Hillary Clinton in the November election.
Unlike many NeverTrumpers, Whitman will abandon the Republican party and side with the Democrats.
At a private summit Park City, Utah for conservative donors hosted by Mitt Romney, Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman reportedly compared Donald Trump to Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini and, according to another donor that was present, asked why she shouldn’t support Clinton.
"She posed the question, 'Is it not reasonable to support Hillary Clinton?' given all the awful things Trump has said," donor John Chachas said, according to ABC.
When asked, Whitman said she was still uncommitted.
"I haven't made that decision," she told ABC.
"We’ll see, get to the conventions, see who the vice presidential picks are. And then I will make that decision."
Whitman has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republican candidates and causes over the years, according to Federal Elections Commission records.
During this election cycle, she contributed $205,000 to super-PACs allied with Chris Christie’s now-defunct presidential campaign. Christie has since endorsed Trump.
Whitman also gave $100,000 in March to a conservative super-PAC that opposes Trump.
Although you can't say that Whitman is a "high profile" Republican, she is well known in party circles. This leads to the question; what should the Republican party do with these turncoats?
Not voting for any presidential candidate is bad enough if you're in the upper echelon of the Republican leadership. Mitt Romney is apparently mulling this option. But to actively give your support to Hillary Clinton is a step too far for most Republicans. Those that take this step should be frozen out of party leadership positions and made a pariah at Republican functions.
Whitman is no dummy so you have to think she knows this. That's why her next step after endorsing Clinton will be to go all the way and quit the GOP to join the Democrats. True, it's of no great consequence, although the party will miss her deep pockets. Ultimately, this is why most Republicans of the NeverTrump crowd will either stay at home on election day or simply refuse to cast a ballot for president. Voting for Clinton disqualifies them from belonging to the Republican party. And that should be made clear to any and all who contemplate such a move.