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Added on the 09/11/2020 19:14:18 - Copyright : Wochit
When President Donald Trump vetoed the $900 billion stimulus bill Tuesday night, he claimed sending $600 checks to working Americans wasn't enough. But according to Business Insider, some Republicans aren't buying it. One anonymous GOP official said Trump was throwing a 'tantrum' in order to punish GOP lawmakers who didn't back his bid to hold onto the presidency. As Trump left to spend the Christmas holidays in his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Wednesday, the White House was fielding furious calls from Republicans. They wanted to know why they were told that Trump supported the bill and asked them to vote for it, only to be abandoned at the last minute.
Business Insider is reporting details of the Trump Administrations Purge of the Pentagon and Department of Defense. The Trump administration has reportedly gutted the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board. They removed most of its 13 members. A US defense official confirmed to Insider that some members had been removed. Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller said in a statement that he looks forward "to naming new board members in the coming days." The changes to the Defense Policy Board saw the departure of advisors like former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. They come on the heels of a major shake-up of the Pentagon's civilian leadership earlier this month.
As lame duck President Donald Trump purges his administration, the Pentagon's top intelligence official has resigned in protest. According to Business Insider, Joseph Kernan, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, walked off the job on Tuesday. The Pentagon says Kernan's departure had been planned for months, but it notably comes the same day two other Department of Defense officials resigned. Kernan's announcement came one day after Trump fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper by tweet, saying Esper had been 'terminated.' It also comes amid the resignation of the chief of staff to the Secretary of Defense Jen Stewart and acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy James Anderson. Writing in a statement that 'it appears that chaos has now reached the Pentagon,' Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) was just one of many lawmakers sounding the alarm.
Just days before being canned by President Donald Trump, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper denied serving as the president's yes-man in the Pentagon. According to Business Insider, Esper told the Military Times he challenges the president more than any other Cabinet-level leader. President Donald Trump fired Esper Monday, providing no reason. However, the president has previously purged officials for a perceived lack of loyalty. Esper and the Commander in Chief have locked horns on numerous issues, most notably over Esper's order to cease flying the Confederate flag on US military bases. Also, Esper also tried to distance himself from a politically-charged photo op, in which Trump awkwardly clutched a Bible in front of a church near the White House. Federal troops pepper-sprayed peaceful protesters in Lafayette Park, so the way would be cleared for Trump, Esper, and other officials to walk to the church.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is being treated for prostate cancer, the Pentagon says, after he faced criticism for waiting days to inform the White House about his extended hospitalization. SOUNDBITE