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'Outrageous if Trump picks Petraeus as secretary of state'

Saturday, 10 December 2016 9:49 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 10 December 2016 10:24 AM ]

US President-elect Donald Trump’s possible appointment of retired military general and former CIA director David Petraeus as secretary of state would be “outrageous,” a former US diplomat says.

Petraeus, who created a scandal in 2012 for allegedly providing classified information to Paula Broadwell, with whom he was having an extramarital affair, is not qualified to head the US State Department, said J. Michael Springmann, the former head of the American visa bureau in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

“Putting this Petraeus in as secretary of state; that’s an outrageous thing,” Springmann told Press TV on Friday. “He created tremendous leaks of classified information to his mistress.”

“We really got to look at some of this stuff, really hard and really closely and try and find the best people, not the most connected, not the richest, not the most militaristic,” he added.

Several of Trump's controversial cabinet picks are choices at odds with some of his promises and policy proposals during his presidential campaign.

Trump’s newest picks include professional wrestling magnate Linda McMahon to lead the Small Business Association, and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

Critics have criticized Pruitt for being a climate change denier with ties to the fossil fuel industry.

And McMahon, donated $6 million to a pro-Trump super PAC, has been accused of putting profits ahead of the well-being of the WWE wrestlers who attract millions of fans with their daredevil stunts and muscular physiques.

Springmann criticized Trump for forming his incoming administration with a high percentage of wealthy individuals and military generals. Trump's picks for his administration could make his cabinet one of the wealthiest in US history.

“If you’re having a lot of billionaires, you’ve got people who have nothing in common with the average fellow in the United States, and if you have a lot of military people, the issue is going to be of course who controls the American government, the civilians or armed forces,” Springmann said.

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www.presstv.co.uk