One of Donald Trump’s top choices for a running mate holds progressive stances on a number of core Republican issues, including abortion and gay marriage.
“I think women have to be able to choose…sort of, the right of choice,” Retired Army Lieutenant General Michael Flynn said in a Sunday interview on ABC’s “This Week.”
“They are the ones that have to make the decision because they’re the ones that are going to decide to bring up that child or not,” he added.
While he didn’t express outright support for gay marriage, Flynn signaled that private life choices were not something in which the federal government should intervene.
“What people do in their private lives, these are not big issues that our country’s dealing with,” he said.
Trump himself has taken a range of contradictory positions on these issues. He has come out against gay marriage, describing himself as a “traditional” guy, and now opposes abortion after previously saying he was “very pro-choice.”
ABC reported that Flynn, the former chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency, was under serious consideration by the Trump campaign for a VP pick. He currently advises Trump on foreign policy and national security issues.
The New York real estate mogul is reportedly planning to announce his running mate just before the Republican National Convention, which begins next Monday. Last week, several top contenders, including Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), withdrew their names from consideration.
