WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton's advisers met with the Aerospace Industries Association, which had already met with her Republican rival, Donald Trump, the defense trade group announced Wednesday.
AIA President and CEO David Melcher informally briefed Hillary For America advisers about the organization's priorities, AIA spokesman Daniel Stohr said in a statement.
"As the voice of American aerospace and defense, AIA's role is to educate our elected leaders, candidates for office and the general public on the importance of our industry to our economy and national security," the statement reads.
AIA, along with representatives of Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon briefed Clinton's rival at Trump Tower in New York in June, according reports by The Hill and the Daily Beast. Representatives from other industries were present as well.
Trump has said he wants to "rebuild" the US military. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, Clinton's running mate, reportedly attacked Trump at an appearance in Fayetteville, N.C., earlier this week for saying the US military is a "disaster."
AIA, a non-partisan organization, is not permitted to endorse candidates for political office, but the group has distributed position papers on defense, security cooperation and space programs to every congressional and presidential campaign. Its briefings are intended for educational purposes only, the statement said, "and we welcome the opportunity to speak with the candidates about issues that matter to our nation, our industry and our members."
Joe Gould was the senior Pentagon reporter for Defense News, covering the intersection of national security policy, politics and the defense industry. He had previously served as Congress reporter.
