Tonight, after President Trump fired a number of senior U.S. military officers, including General Charles Brown, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the Chief of Naval Operations; General James Slife, the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff; and the Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and in the wake of reporting that Trump is considering firing a number of other senior U.S. military officers, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement:
“I am deeply disturbed by President Trump’s politically motivated purge of senior military leaders. This loss of experience makes our military less ready, undermines our national security, and ultimately makes Americans less safe. These firings also undermine the principle that our military owes its allegiance to the Constitution and to the American people – not to a particular party or president.
Among the exceptionally qualified leaders Trump fired tonight is Lisa Franchetti, who was the first woman on the Joint Chiefs of Staff and had more time in command at sea than any of her recent predecessors. This administration has made bogus claims that Admiral Franchetti and other purged leaders secured their positions only because of their gender or race, despite the fact that they came to their roles with decades of experience and were confirmed with broad bipartisan support.
I urge Senate Republicans to resist these attempts to politicize our military and make a stand for the long tradition of a nonpartisan military.”
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