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Trump fires U.S. admiral at NATO as part of an intensifying military purge
After Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield was ousted, a key House Democrat said, “Yet again, our country is less safe because of President Trump’s actions.”
https://bsky.app/profile/stevebenen.com/post/3lmcjccwus22s
A month before Election Day 2024, Trump said, "The military is bad. We have generals that do such a bad job." He went on to complain that military leaders "never get fired."
Six months later, his wildly unnecessary and indefensible military purge is ongoing.
Six months later, his wildly unnecessary and indefensible military purge is ongoing.
Link to tweet
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-fires-us-admiral-nato-part-intensifying-military-purge-rcna200165
Indeed, a month before Election Day, he said during an interview, “The military is bad. We have generals that do such a bad job.” In the same interview, Trump went on to complain that U.S. military leaders “never get fired.”
Evidently, he meant it. The Associated Press reported:
The AP’s account noted that Chatfield was notified of her ouster by Adm. Christopher Grady, the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who told the admiral that the Trump administration wanted to “go in a different direction.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly made the decision, and the AP report noted that it’s “unclear whether he received any direction” from the president......
So why was she removed from her post? According to The Washington Post, Chatfield had been targeted by a conservative group called the American Accountability Foundation, which lobbied Hegseth for her removal, pointing to a 2015 speech in which Chatfield said that “our diversity is our strength.”......
Several weeks ago, five former defense secretaries — including retired Gen. Jim Mattis, Trump’s first defense secretary — condemned the administration’s military firings as “reckless.” Their joint letter, addressed to Congress, asked that the House and the Senate hold “immediate hearings to assess the national security implications” of Trump’s dismissals.
“Mr. Trump’s dismissals raise troubling questions about the administration’s desire to politicize the military and to remove legal constraints on the president’s power,” they said in the letter. “Talented Americans may be far less likely to choose a life of military service if they believe they will be held to a political standard.”
Trump appears to have ignored their concerns, and GOP leaders on Capitol Hill have scheduled no such hearings.
Evidently, he meant it. The Associated Press reported:
U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, the only woman on NATO’s military committee, was fired over the weekend by the Trump administration, U.S. officials said Monday. Although no reason was given, officials said it was apparently tied to comments she has made that supported diversity in the force.
The AP’s account noted that Chatfield was notified of her ouster by Adm. Christopher Grady, the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who told the admiral that the Trump administration wanted to “go in a different direction.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly made the decision, and the AP report noted that it’s “unclear whether he received any direction” from the president......
So why was she removed from her post? According to The Washington Post, Chatfield had been targeted by a conservative group called the American Accountability Foundation, which lobbied Hegseth for her removal, pointing to a 2015 speech in which Chatfield said that “our diversity is our strength.”......
Several weeks ago, five former defense secretaries — including retired Gen. Jim Mattis, Trump’s first defense secretary — condemned the administration’s military firings as “reckless.” Their joint letter, addressed to Congress, asked that the House and the Senate hold “immediate hearings to assess the national security implications” of Trump’s dismissals.
“Mr. Trump’s dismissals raise troubling questions about the administration’s desire to politicize the military and to remove legal constraints on the president’s power,” they said in the letter. “Talented Americans may be far less likely to choose a life of military service if they believe they will be held to a political standard.”
Trump appears to have ignored their concerns, and GOP leaders on Capitol Hill have scheduled no such hearings.
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