Three Trump Loyalists Named to Top Pentagon Positions Following Defense Secretary Sacking

ONE DAY AFTER Donald Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper, three loyalists were appointed to the president to senior defense positions.

Among them was a former Fox News commentator who failed to pass Senate confirmation due to offensive comments he made, including about Islam.

The abrupt changes sent resonances through the Pentagon as nervous civilian and military personnel awaited further developments. And they fueled concerns of a broader effort to oust anyone deemed not loyal enough to Trump.

The unease was palpable inside the building throughout the day due to concerns about what the Trump administration might do in the months before President-elect Joe Biden takes office and whether there will be a greater effort to politicize the historically apolitical military.

While sweeping policy changes seem unlikely ahead of the January 20 inauguration, the changes could further damage prospects for a smooth transition already hampered by Trump’s refusal to admit his electoral defeat.

James Anderson, who had been acting undersecretary for politics, resigned yesterday morning and was quickly replaced by Anthony Tata, a retired one-star general in the army.

Shortly thereafter, Joseph Kernan, a retired navy vice admiral, resigned as undersecretary of intelligence, accelerating what had been a planned post-election game. Kernan was replaced by Ezra Cohen-Watnick, who becomes Acting Under Secretary for Intelligence.

The departures came on Christopher Miller’s second day on duty as chief of defense. Miller also brought in his own chief of staff at Kash Patel, who, like Cohen-Watnick, is considered staunchly loyal to Trump and previously served on the National Security Council.

Patel was among the small group of aides who traveled extensively with Trump during the final leg of the campaign. He is also a former prosecutor in the national security division of the Department of Justice and a former staff member of the House Intelligence Committee. In that role, he was one of the top advisers to Republican Representative Devin Nunes, and led the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections.

Patel was linked in media accounts to efforts to discredit the investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

This is Trump’s second attempt to secure the political seat for Tata, who has been a regular commentator on Fox News.

Earlier this year, Trump appointed Tata to the position, but the Senate canceled a hearing on the nomination when it became clear that confirmation would be difficult, if not impossible. Tata withdrew his name from consideration for the position, which is the third-highest position in the department, and then Trump appointed him to the position of deputy assistant secretary.

According to media reports, Tata posted tweets in 2018 calling Islam “the most oppressive violent religion I know,” calling former President Barack Obama a “terrorist leader” and referring to him as Muslim. The tweets were later deleted.

At the time of the Senate hearing, Democratic Rep. Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said that Trump should not prioritize loyalty over competition and install someone in a position if the “person appointee cannot obtain the support of the Senate, as clearly the case of Tata ”.

While the personnel changes added to the tumult in the wake of Esper’s departure, it’s unclear how much of an impact they could have on the massive Pentagon bureaucracy. The department is based on the principle of civilian control of the armed forces, and much of its day-to-day activities are carried out by career policy experts and military leaders who adhere to a strict chain of command.