Some former members of the Democrats and military responded to anger and sadness over General Charles Q. Brown Jr.'s rejection, and as chairman of the Chief of Staff, it was part of President Trump's political cleansing of military officers. He insisted.
On Friday evening, Trump announced that General Brown would be replaced by Dan Kane, a little-known retired Air Force three-star general. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegses promised to fire “wake” officers and instead promoted officers immersed in “warrior culture.” Five other Pentagon officials were also fired that night.
“Trump wants to make sure that the co-headed is 100% loyal to him,” said Adam Smith, a Washington Democrat and ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, in an interview. “I don't think there's a question why he did that. There's no argument that General Brown is not an incredibly capable leader.”
General Brown's dismissal was soon enacted. Pentagon officials said Saturday that co-chief vice-president Christopher W. Grady will be chairing until the Senate confirms a permanent replacement.
The retired military officer claimed that General Brown was not worthy of fire, and that he was a combat officer like the kind of officer that President Trump said he wanted to lead the army.
Mark Montgomery, a retired rear admiral and senior fellow at the Democrat Defense Foundation, said General Brown was a “proven fighter.”
“His dismissal is a loss to the military,” Admiral Montgomery said. “And more, the firing of general officers is a catastrophe and will affect the morale of the joint forces and preparations for war combat.”
Rhode Island Democrat Sen. Jack Reed and ranking members of the Armed Services Committee condemn General Brown's expulsion and warn that the White House and Mr Hegses could push out other officials A language statement has been issued.
“This appears to be part of a broader, planned campaign by President Trump and Secretary Hegses to drive out talented officers for politically charged reasons.
The American security leader, a former bipartisan volunteer organisation of military and civilian leaders, condemned the group's removal of senior military officers without justification, reflecting concerns about military politicization. This statement was issued. “Removing experienced leaders with a merit record will weaken your strength and rewind the American enemy,” the statement said.
Representative Smith said Congress has set a term for the co-headed chair and expanded beyond the presidential administration to maintain institutional knowledge. He said the co-headed purge was not ready for the military.
Smith said the shooting was to ensure there were no checks on the power of Trump and Elon Musk, who are making major efforts to reduce the government.
“It's about control and power. That's the whole thing about what Musk and what Trump is doing,” Smith said. “What Musk and Trump want more than anything is that whenever they want, they want to do it without checking their power.”
Other Democrats joined. Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal said the firing was based on politics rather than merit, and “the enemy of Russia and China is celebrating.” California Sen. Adam B. Schiff said that amid a greater effort by the Trump administration across the government will “cleanse the people of height and independence continue.” And Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly said the firing was “disrespectful to the service and sacrifice of everyone who brings life to our country.”
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat and former Obama administration Pentagon official, said Trump's Purge should “tremble the spines of Americans who care about non-political troops.” Ta.
“For most of our history, the leaders of both parties have made their political activities almost separate from how the military handled them,” Slotkin said in a social media message. “But it's not this president, nor this secdef. No matter how they try to spin it, they have brought political retaliation to the very fighters who claim they care. And We're not safe about that.”
Throughout the Biden administration, Republicans oppose what the Pentagon saw as bent towards liberal policy priorities, and say the military is putting too much effort into promoting diversity. I criticized him.
However, many Republicans respected General Brown. After his expulsion, Republican lawmakers supporting Trump were cautious. Some praised General Brown's services, but none directly criticized the president's actions.
Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said he is confident that Trump will choose a “qualified and capable successor,” but he has a concrete example of General Kane's Without seeking any praise, General Brown said he served with respect. Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican of Arkansas, also thanked General Brown for his service and said he was looking forward to discussing with General Kane about the “challenges and opportunities” the Pentagon faces.
Trump's national security adviser John R. Bolton said in his first term, which he himself became the target of president's retaliation, that fire was a mistake and would help politicize the US military. I stated.
“This is a workplace retaliation campaign,” Bolton said in a phone interview Saturday. “It is assuming that military officers cannot implement legal orders, they are politicized, and that is very harmful to the military. I am concerned about the long-term outcome of the military. It's there.”
Smith said he is also concerned about the long-term outcome. He said up and down the chain of command, officers are not willing to speak out, which would degrade the quality of advice the military gives to civilian leaders.
“Trump made it clear that if he doesn't do what Trump likes, he'll be fired,” Smith said. “You'll have “yes men” around there who aren't going to use their best judgment or intelligence. ”
Greg Jaffe of Washington contributed the report.
