White House has talked to VA secretary about taking Pentagon job if Trump fires Esper
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has long been unhappy with Defense Secretary Mark Esper, and White House officials have talked to Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie about taking the top Pentagon job should Trump decide to fire Esper, three senior administration officials said.
Two senior administration officials said Trump discussed the position directly with Wilkie at the White House last month. Two other senior administration officials said Wilkie had senior-level discussions with the White House about becoming Trump’s next defense secretary.
So what did Prznint Stupid’s THIRD Defense Secretary (and only confirmed in July!) do to deserve the ol’ agent orange treatment (see what I did there?) — I mean, afterall he did to enable the infamous walk to St. John’s Church for a photo-op you’d think that there’d be a little bit of loyalty…
In June, Esper told NBC News that he would not support using the Insurrection Act to quell civil unrest across the country, even though Trump was leaving open the possibility of invoking the law to deploy federalized troops to respond to the protests.
Another recent point of friction was the idea of renaming military bases named for Confederate generals and leaders. In June, Esper said he was open to the idea of renaming the bases. But days later, Trump issued a series of tweets denouncing the idea, writing that “my Administration will not even consider renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations.” He followed up with “Respect our Military!”
Oh. Esper isn’t as racist as Cadet Bone Spurs. Lord Damp Nut thinks that he can win back the loyalty of the Losers and Suckers, er, Military by You’re Fired’ing the Defense Secretary right before the election. His advisers are not so keen on it:
Trump has told aides for months that he is unhappy with Esper and wants to fire him. Trump’s allies inside and outside the White House have told him that shaking up leadership at the Pentagon before the Nov. 3 election would create turmoil in his administration during the closing weeks of the campaign. It would come at a time when the president is planning to reduce the number of U.S. forces in hot spots such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
But since when has Lord Damp Nut listened to anyone other than his gut?
Collect your cheese sandwich and roadmap, Secretary Esper.
Republished with permission from Mock Paper Scissors.
