Retired Lt. Col. Ralph Peters said Monday he still plans to vote for Hillary Clinton despite calling her "greedy," "corrupt," "awful," and "despicable" because Donald Trump is more unacceptable.
Peters, who has previously stated he would support Clinton in spite of her flaws, was asked by Fox Business host Stuart Varney if he stood by that choice. Peters had just finished railing against her handling of classified information.
"Stuart, I think Hillary Clinton is despicable," he said. "She has committed criminal acts. She's greedy, she's corrupt, and yes, I'm going to vote for her. I'm going to vote for Republicans down the ballot, but I'm voting for Hillary Clinton because it's a vote against Donald Trump. I don't want Moscow's man in the White House."
Peters, acknowledging his conservative-leaning audience, said he would be more popular if he chose to vote for Trump, but he said the Republican nominee is too cozy with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has made "crazy" remarks on foreign policy and trade.
Varney said he supports Trump because the candidate has a solid plan to create strong economic growth, beginning with across-the-board tax cuts, but Peters said Trump is lying to blue-collar workers.
"People need skills for the jobs of the future," Peters said. "This cult of Trump is going to lead a lot of places—look, Hillary Clinton's domestic policies repel me. She's awful, but she's safer for this country's security than Donald Trump, and I think Vladimir Putin has a deep hold on Trump, and we should all be much more alarmed than we are."
Peters has never been shy about voicing his disdain for Clinton. He once called her "demented" for suggesting we find ways to empathize with our enemies.