Posted on 03/02/2025 4:55:16 AM PST by Libloather
WASHINGTON (AP) — Five former secretaries of defense are calling on Congress to hold immediate hearings on President Donald Trump’s recent firings of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and several other senior military leaders, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press.
The five men — who represented Republican and Democratic administrations over the past three decades — said the dismissals were alarming, raised “troubling questions about the administration’s desire to politicize the military” and removed legal constraints on the president’s power.
Late last week, Trump fired Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth followed that by firing Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations; Gen. Jim Slife, vice chief of the Air Force; and the judge advocates general for the military services.
Hegseth has defended the firing of Brown, saying that other presidents made changes in military personnel and that Trump deserves to pick his own team. Hegseth said he fired the JAGs because he didn’t think they were “well-suited” to provide recommendations when lawful orders are given.
The letter — signed by William Perry, Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel, Jim Mattis and Lloyd Austin — said there were no real justifications for the firings because several of the officers had been nominated by Trump for previous positions. And it said they had exemplary careers, including operational and combat experience.
“We, like many Americans — including many troops — are therefore left to conclude that these leaders are being fired for purely partisan reasons,” said the letter, adding that “we’re not asking members of Congress to do us a favor; we’re asking them to do their jobs.”
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
They are still using the Democrat playbook. Find something they can use and then attack. They were certainly quiet when Obmama was doing it so what is their real objection?
Perhaps they are losing their ability to control things.
If it has not already happen cancel their security clearance and ban any military personal to communicate with them.
holding an important job in my book, doesn't make you any less a socialist, communist or a$$-hole of a person.
Are they planning on calling Obama first?
Someone send them a dictionary ... and bookmark the page with ‘mandate’!
I agree with revoking their security clearances, but I see no valid reason to ban military members from communicating with them.
Yes. Let’s start with why Harry Truman fired Douglas MacArthur.
Seriously, these clowns can go pound sand. Trump can fire ANYONE he wants under his command. If they thought a lawsuit would work they would have filed a lawsuit. Calling for a hearing is like pissing into hurricane force winds.
From WIKI:
The Armed Services Committee and the Foreign Relations Committee of the U.S. Senate held a joint inquiry into the military situation and the circumstances surrounding MacArthur’s relief, and concluded that “the removal of General MacArthur was within the constitutional powers of the President but the circumstances were a shock to national pride”.[1] In having MacArthur relieved for failing to “respect the authority of the President” by privately communicating with Congress, Truman upheld the president’s role as preeminent.
You beat me by one minute!
Haven’t they learned yet that a bunch of failure signing a letter is just asking for trouble? Ask how those 51 intell guys are doing.
Closer to 2
Pull their security clearances.
See 28. It’s early.
Two words- “General MacArthur.”
Even better....send them the Constitution. Ask them to find the section where their opinions on this issue matter.
Darth Covid: Lloyd Austin, the SecDef who went AWOL.
Double standard, you suppose?
If LIEberals did not have a double standard, they would have not standard at all!
The Military Industrial Complex is not happy!
BTW, does anyone remember this type of outcry when Obama gutted the military of war-fighters?
Obama purges 197 officers in 5 years - https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4278322/posts
Amen, “the pleasure of the President” is justification a plenty!
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