Mattis Out by the First of the Year
by: Daveda Gruber
On Sunday President Trump announced that Defense Secretary James Mattis will be leaving the administration on January 1st. This would let Mattis leave a few weeks earlier than he had planned.
Mattis, who is 68 years old, has resigned from his position because of disagreements with the White House.
Mattis wrote, “The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department’s interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February.”
His successor was chosen a lot faster than anticipated.
On Sunday morning Trump wrote on Twitter:
I am pleased to announce that our very talented Deputy Secretary of Defense, Patrick Shanahan, will assume the title of Acting Secretary of Defense starting January 1, 2019. Patrick has a long list of accomplishments while serving as Deputy, & previously Boeing. He will be great!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2018
Mattis’ resignation was “in protest” over the president’s national security policies and more resignations could be imminent.
Washington elites have condemned the Syria pullout decision.
This week U.S. officials said that the Trump administration is planning to pull all 2,000 troops out of Syria.
Ground troops moved into Syria in 2015 to combat ISIS in the region. This came amid an escalating Syrian civil war.
Trump had talked about pulling out of Syria before his recent decision. Military leaders had warned about ISIS re-emerging should the U.S. do so.
Some are also concerned about abandoning the U.S.’ Kurdish allies.
On Saturday Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy for the global coalition to defeat Islamic State (ISIS) announced his resignation.
McGurk said in a resignation letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that ISIS was on the run, but wasn’t yet defeated and that U.S. work in Syria wasn’t yet done.
McGurk submitted his resignation letter on Friday. This came a day after Mattis resigned and his resignation is effective on December 31st.
Trump reacted on Twitter:
Brett McGurk, who I do not know, was appointed by President Obama in 2015. Was supposed to leave in February but he just resigned prior to leaving. Grandstander? The Fake News is making such a big deal about this nothing event!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2018
If anybody but your favorite President, Donald J. Trump, announced that, after decimating ISIS in Syria, we were going to bring our troops back home (happy & healthy), that person would be the most popular hero in America. With me, hit hard instead by the Fake News Media. Crazy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2018
I have no problem getting out of a war that has no end it site. There are other counties in the area who could take on the responsibility of fighting and re-building.
I’m pretty sure that Trump will have no problems selling military equipment to the ‘good guys’.
That seems better than Obama et al giving arms to the ‘bad guys’.
