WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — On Monday, President Donald Trump announced the dismissal of Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, a move Maine Independent Sen. Angus King calls a “personal vendetta” by Trump.
The firing comes days after Trump’s failed re-election bid, which Trump has not yet publicly accepted. The conventional wisdom is that stability atop the Pentagon and the military be maintained during a possible transition to a new administration. Esper’s dismissal could potentially unsettle U.S. allies and partners.
King, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, says the transition period is an especially vital time for the nation’s defense to remain stable.
“Right now, America hangs in the balance of a precarious moment – mere weeks before a presidential transition, with dangerous national security threats as foreign adversaries monitor our resolve and look for vulnerabilities,” King said in a statement Monday. “Now especially, it is vital that the Department of Defense’s core mission remains stable and focused on the tasks at hand: protecting our citizens, defending our national security interests, and conducting a seamless transition to the Biden Administration.”
King goes on to say Trump “appears to have placed a personal vendetta against his own Secretary of Defense ahead of the interest of the nation.”
“Secretary Esper took an oath to the Constitution, not this President; the same is true for the newly-appointed Acting Secretary,” King said. “This is no time for sour grapes; it’s time for America’s top civilian officials to put the good of the country first.”
Trump said on Twitter that Christopher C. Miller, the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center will be the Acting Secretary of Defense.
"Chris will do a GREAT job," Trump tweeted. "Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service." Trump noted that Miller had been "unanimously confirmed by the Senate" to his counterterrorism position.
King said, “While I have grave concerns that this announcement ignores the Department of Defense’s established order of succession, I truly hope that Acting Secretary Miller will rise to this moment. Our nation’s security – during the next ten weeks and beyond – depends on it.”
Republican Sen. Susan Collins said in a statement to NEWS CENTER Maine that she's known Esper for many years, and said, "He has served honorably and capably as Secretary of Defense."
"Although the President has the prerogative to fire members of his administration if he so chooses, his removal of Secretary Esper is ill-timed and unwise," Collins said.
U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), said, “After overwhelmingly losing the Presidency, Donald Trump continues to sow chaos and harm our institutions. The country needs a steady hand to heal the divisions caused by his cruel and erratic choices. With President-elect Biden, I look forward to turning the page on an era in which cabinet secretaries are fired via tweet.”
Rep. Jared Golden has not released a statement.
