Tag: Jim Mattis

Murkowski, Mattis criticism ratchets up pressure on GOP over Trump

The Hill logoCriticism of President Trump from former Defense Secretary James Mattisand Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is ratcheting up pressure on other Republicans to push back on the president’s handling of nationwide civil unrest.

Mattis, who is as close as anyone to being universally respected on Capitol Hill, called out Trump on Wednesday for what he called the president’s lack of a “mature leadership” and accused him for intentionally trying to divide the nation.

Murkowski said she thought Mattis’s words were “true and honest and necessary and overdue” and suggested that it might embolden other Republicans who privately disagree with the president’s often controversial tone and conduct to speak out. Continue reading.

‘He got nasty’: Former White House chief of staff rips Trump and defends James Mattis

AlterNet logoAfter resigning from his position as secretary of Defense in December 2018, Gen. James Mattis was reluctant to criticize President Donald Trump. But that changed this week during the George Floyd protests when Mattis, in comments published by The Atlantic, called Trump out for being so divisive.

As Mattis’s comments stoke both praise and backlash, former White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly came out on Thursday to defend the former Pentagon chief.

Mattis disagreed with Trump’s threat to use military force during the demonstrations. And he asserted: “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us.” Continue reading.

Mattis says he served ‘as long as I could,’ warns of a leader not committed to working with allies

Washington Post logoFormer defense secretary Jim Mattis, who resigned last year after clashing with President Trump, says in a book excerpt that “I did as well as I could for as long as I could” and warns of the dangers of a leader who is not committed to working with allies.

Mattis, who announced his resignation in December after Trump shocked U.S. allies and overruled his advisers by announcing a troop withdrawal from Syria, writes in his book that he decided to depart “when my concrete solutions and strategic advice, especially keeping faith with our allies, no longer resonated.” The book is due to be published next week by Random House.

In the excerpt, published Wednesday by the Wall Street Journal, Mattis writes about the need for leaders to appreciate the value of allies without explicitly mentioning Trump, who has made a slogan of “America First.”

View the complete August 28 article by John Wagner and Karen DeYoung on The Washington Post website here.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis calls out Trump’s shady treatment of Russia in his brutal resignation letter

Many have believed Mattis has protected the country from the worst of the president’s impulses.

President Donald Trump stunned observers Thursday evening when, in the midst of a tense government shutdown fight and the day after he announced an unexpected U.S. withdrawal from Syria, he said on Twitter that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will be retiring at the end of February. In reality, it was clear Mattis quit.

“General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years,” Trump wrote. “During Jim’s tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting……equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!”

Many observers and critics of the president had long believed that Mattis was one of the key figures in the administration protecting the country from Trump’s worst ideas and plans.

View the complete December 20 by Elizabeth McLaughlin article on the AlterNet.org website here.

Mattis-Trump relationship put to the test by Woodward book

The following article by Ellen Mitchell was posted on the Hill website September 9, 2018:

Lawmakers and national security experts are questioning whether Defense Secretary James Mattis can maintain a strong relationship with President Trump in the wake of reports that the White House has looked for a successor to the Pentagon chief, and reporting in Bob Woodward’s book of Mattis’s frustrations with the president.

Mattis quickly put out a statement this past week describing Woodward’s book as fiction and denying insults attributed to him regarding Trump. The president, for his part, publicly thanked Mattis for the “nicest quote about me,” signaling a deep appreciation for the Defense secretary’s words.

“I did appreciate his statement,” Trump said. “He didn’t have to write that statement. But I did appreciate it.”

View the complete article here.