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meThe day after the removal of former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, President Donald Trump entrusted three fervent loyalists to high-ranking positions in the Pentagon. Former General Anthony Tata succeeds James Anderson as the new Secretary of State for Political Affairs at the Ministry, who held the post temporarily and resigned on Tuesday. Shortly after, Joseph Kernan resigned his post as Secretary of State for Intelligence and was quickly replaced by Ezra Cohen-Watnick.
The personnel changes took place on the second business day of Christoph Miller, whom Trump had appointed shortly after the lost presidential election as successor to Pentagon chief Esper. Miller brought in his own chief of staff with Kash Patel, who replaced Jen Stewart. Both Patel and Cohen-Watnick are believed to be Trump supporters and previously served on the National Security Council in the White House.
Tata used to be a commentator for the conservative Fox News station. In the summer, the Senate was supposed to confirm him as the Pentagon’s Secretary of State for Political Affairs in accordance with Trump’s will, but this failed due to earlier anti-Islamic slogans. According to media reports, he tweeted in 2018 in which he described Islam as “the most repressive violent religion I know of.” He also called former President Barack Obama a “terrorist leader” and a Muslim.
The tweets were later deleted. The Republican-dominated Senate canceled a hearing on Tata’s staff in late July after it became clear his confirmation would not be enforceable.
There has recently been a massive crisis between the former head of department, Esper, and the recently elected President Trump. Surprising staff changes at the Pentagon are likely to further diminish the prospects for a smooth transition after Joe Biden’s election victory. Trump doesn’t want to admit defeat.
