Republican Colin Powell to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is crossing party lines for the third presidential election in a row. The Republican said he will vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton, also a former secretary of state.

Powell, 79, revealed his choice to guests at the Long Island Association luncheon on Tuesday. The retired four-star general told the crowd that Republican nominee Donald Trump, if elected, would take the country back 50 years.

In hacked emails released in September, Powell called Trump a "national disgrace and an international pariah." Powell wrote that Trump "appeals to the worst angels of the GOP nature and poor white folks."

Powell served as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton and as secretary of state under President George W. Bush.

Powell backed Democrat Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.