Pentagon chief Mattis quits, citing policy differences with Trump

By Phil Stewart and Steve Holland

 

FILE PHOTO: Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis speaks with the media before an enhanced honor cordon arrival of Greek Minister of Defense Panagiotis Kammenos at the Pentagon in Washington, U.S., October 9, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, a stabilizing force in President Donald Trump's Cabinet, abruptly announced his resignation on Thursday and said Trump should pick a successor whose views align more with his own.

 

Mattis' resigned a day after Trump announced that U.S. troops in Syria would be withdrawn, a decision that upended American policy in the region, and on the same day that officials said the president was considering a substantial U.S. pullout from the long-running conflict in Afghanistan.

 

"Because you have a right to a Secretary of Defence whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position," Mattis said in his resignation letter, released by the Pentagon.

 

Trump, announcing Mattis' departure on Twitter, said he would nominate a successor soon.

 

"General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defence for the past two years," he said.

 

Mattis joins a long list of former Trump administration senior figures who have either quit or been removed, some unceremoniously like Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who Trump fired via Twitter in March.

 

Trump's White House has had the highest turnover of senior-level staff of the past five presidents, according to the Brookings Institution think tank.

 

Speculation that Mattis might not last long in his post grew in October when Republican Trump said in a CBS interview that the general was "sort of a Democrat" and might be leaving.

 

Mattis, along with other national security aides, was said to have opposed Trump's decision to remove U.S. troops from Syria. Many U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern about the decision and asked Trump to reconsider.

 

(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Steve Holland in Washington; writing by Tim Ahmann; editing by James Dalgleish and Grant McCool)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-12-21

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Time to tap up some old Apprentice contestants or other wannabe reality tv stars.

9 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

????

Time to tap up some old Apprentice contestants or other wannabe reality tv stars.

As it's a DOD posting, nothing less than a Survivor or American Gladiator fourth runner up or higher will have the necessary qualifications.

Edited December 20, 20187 yr by lannarebirth

Finally, someone with cojones and the right mind-set to leave this administration. The swamp gets deeper!!

January 3 can’t come soon enough.

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Mattis joins a long list of former Trump administration senior figures who have either quit or been removed, some unceremoniously

haha, no one wants to work for the president of the united states

Kudos gen.Mattis obviously a man with morals and intelligence how can anyone of quality work for someone like trump?

Mattis quits, trump says he "retired".

 

 

22 minutes ago, Tug said:

Kudos gen.Mattis obviously a man with morals and intelligence how can anyone of quality work for someone like trump?

Sure, so was the publicly humiliated and insulted (By Trump) ex-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The difference is that Mattis held his tongue, (actually, he appeared to be biting it with his face contorted in pain on many occasions when standing with and listening to the inarticulate jackass Trump embarrass the country). As a result, Trump says "he is retiring with distinction." 

1 hour ago, Somtamnication said:

Finally, someone with cojones and the right mind-set to leave this administration. The swamp gets deeper!!

The swamp in this area started with the absurd invasion of Iraq after 9/11 (like invading Finland after Pear Harbor ) Then the increasing nation building in 12th century Afghanistan. That that hapless Bush dragged everyone into. And your criticizing Trump for trying to end this ridiculous costly, lives and $$$$ situation ???? Like all above jumping on anti Trump bandwagon. The only reason I don't like trump is because of his weak dollar policy.

 

Edited December 21, 20187 yr by morrobay

6 minutes ago, morrobay said:

The swamp in this area started with the absurd invasion of Iraq after 9/11 (like invading Finland after Pear Harbor ) Then the increasing nation building in 12th century Afghanistan. That that hapless Bush dragged everyone into. And your criticizing Trump for trying to end this ridiculous costly, lives and $$$$ situation ???? Like all above jumping on anti Trump bandwagon. The only reason I don't like trump is because of his weak dollar policy.

 

Yes, those things really didn't make sense.

But withdrawing from Syria now, and possibly Afghanistan as well, simply doesn't make sense with the present middle East policy in mind. It will strengthen daesh, Russia, Iran, Turkey; it will weaken the Kurds, Taliban and religious extremism.

Great, only one remaining grown-up left in the administration and he's leaving at the end of the year and then it's full Lord Of The Flies but with the difference that the lord/swamp king has real power.

Be afraid, be really afraid.

Let's look at the current Trump  Administration-

 

-General Kelly resigning as of years end

-General Mattis resigning as of Feb 2019

-Trump Lawyer Cohen- sentenced to prison

-General Flynn- former  NSA head- pleads guilty to a felony

-17 investigations going on by the Feds and NY State involving Trump; his children and others

- A Xmas/New years Government shutdown looming.

-ISIS; Russia and Iran applauding Trump's decision to leave Syria

 

Every time I think it can't get any worse- It does!!. 

Not just Mattis who's leaving...

He could have resigned over Trumps idiotic deployment of troops to the border. to fight the invasion of Honduran mothers and children!

But he does it, when the US- troops might be taken out of a war zone....

...well...make of that, what you wish!

Mattis was smart to write his resignation letter above a 5th grade reading level.  Obviously Trump can't read between the lines or else he'd realize he's being called a terrible president who is dead-wrong on foreign policy.

3 hours ago, YetAnother said:

haha, no one wants to work for the president of the united states

 

Actually, lots of earnest, intelligent Americans probably want to work for a president of the U.S.

 

It's just Trump that no one in their right mind wants to/should want to work for.  But then, he's not really a president, is he?  More just a charlatan and imposter who enough stupid Americans voted into office.

 

 

Like rats (in a nice sense) deserting a sinking ship!

Edited December 21, 20187 yr by Burma Bill
additional information

'Trump's White House has had the highest turnover of senior-level staff of the past five presidents, according to the Brookings Institution think tank'. 

https://www.brookings.edu/research/tracking-turnover-in-the-trump-administration/

 

Currently the turnover of Trump's 'A' Team (senior-ranking advisers in the executive office of the president) stands at 65%.  If any of my managers never mind my CEO had this kind of turnover, have a guess who I'd be sacking? 
For someone who sold himself on being the 'best' businessman around, you'd have thought he might have got at least one of the basics right i.e. you are only as good as the staff that surround you. 

Terrible at business. Terrible as POTUS.

From "You are Fired!" to "I Quit".

 

That's the difference between dealing with fame seeking young 'business people' and real people with integrity. 

 

Are there any adults left on the Whitehouse or is Trump finally going to start a war with Iran, possibly escalating the conflict to uncontrollable end?

Meanwhile, you have others "hiding" on the WH payroll...

 

A Top Aide’s Exit Plan Raises Eyebrows in the White House

 

WASHINGTON — After weeks of discussions about his future, Zachary D. Fuentes, the 36-year-old deputy White House chief of staff, had a plan.

 

Mr. Fuentes told colleagues that after his mentor, John F. Kelly, left his job as chief of staff at the end of the year, he would “hide out” at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, adjacent to the White House, for six months, remaining on the payroll in a nebulous role. Then, in July, when he had completed 19 years of service in the Coast Guard, Mr. Fuentes — an active-duty officer — would take advantage of an early retirement program.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/20/us/politics/zachary-fuentes-coast-guard-retirement.html

 

I generally tend to agree with most, but not all, of Trumps decisions and actions, but not this one.  Mathis is a rare breed, even for a Marine Corps General.  As a 20 year Marine myself, I know what I speak of.  And losing him, his insight and input, will be major.  This man knows the enemy.  He knows how to deal with enemy.  And he knows how to kick their butts.  It will be hard to replace him with anyone even close to his qualifications. 

 

4 hours ago, stevenl said:

Yes, those things really didn't make sense.

But withdrawing from Syria now, and possibly Afghanistan as well, simply doesn't make sense with the present middle East policy in mind. It will strengthen daesh, Russia, Iran, Turkey; it will weaken the Kurds, Taliban and religious extremism.

Don't think it will strengthen Daesh at all. Syria, Iran, Hebollah and Russia are more than well equipped enough to handles Daesh. Daesh's only hope is Turkey. But the US and the Kurds were not going to take on Turkey anyway.

31 minutes ago, Just1Voice said:

I generally tend to agree with most, but not all, of Trumps decisions and actions, but not this one.  Mathis is a rare breed, even for a Marine Corps General.  As a 20 year Marine myself, I know what I speak of.  And losing him, his insight and input, will be major.  This man knows the enemy.  He knows how to deal with enemy.  And he knows how to kick their butts.  It will be hard to replace him with anyone even close to his qualifications. 

 

And your CIC chose to repeatedly ignore and disregard Mattis' professional advice and expertise on all variety of important foreign policy / military matters. So who's side are you on, Trump's or Mattis'?

 

31 minutes ago, Just1Voice said:

I generally tend to agree with most, but not all, of Trumps decisions and actions, but not this one.  Mathis is a rare breed, even for a Marine Corps General.  As a 20 year Marine myself, I know what I speak of.  And losing him, his insight and input, will be major.  This man knows the enemy.  He knows how to deal with enemy.  And he knows how to kick their butts.  It will be hard to replace him with anyone even close to his qualifications. 

 

I think it has become very clear that Trump does not employ (or keep ) the ' best ' people.

He just wants ' yes men ' , not a solid way to run an administration.

5 hours ago, stevenl said:

it will weaken the Kurds, Taliban and religious extremism.

Sure would hate to see any religious extremism weakened!

7 hours ago, Briggsy said:

????

Time to tap up some old Apprentice contestants or other wannabe reality tv stars.

How about "I Am A Celebrity Politician, Get Me Out Of Here!"

 

 

2 minutes ago, zydeco said:

Sure would hate to see any religious extremism weakened!

Oops, should be 'religious extremism will be emboldened'.

20 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

And your CIC chose to repeatedly ignore and disregard Mattis' professional advice and expertise on all variety of important foreign policy / military matters. So who's side are you on, Trump's or Mattis'?

 

Who says I have to "pick a side"?  As I said, I tend to agree with most, but not all, of Trumps decisions, and this is one I don't agree with.  Doesn't change my feelings for him as POTUS in the least.  I simply think this is not a good decision. 

 

Trump make a deal with Erdogan..... Turkey buy 3.5 billion $ in arms and US retrieves from Syria and not get involved with the Turkey vs Kurds problem.... similar to what happened with Saudi Arabia and the Kasoghi kiling, the difference???..... numbers, some billions more from the SA all of it in the name of ""let's make a deal....""