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The president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced by tweet that he had fired his Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper.
The move further destabilizes a government already navigating Trump’s refusal to grant the presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden.
“Mark Esper has been fired. I would like to thank him for his service,” Trump said on Twitter.
He announced his replacement as Christopher Miller, the current director of the National Counterterrorism Center.
The firing of Esper, who had clashed with Trump over his suggestion to use military personnel to quell civic unrest, comes a week after the US presidential election.
Trump, who so far is pursuing flimsy allegations of voter fraud in court, only has until January 20 before he has to step down and Biden takes office.
The Pentagon did not immediately comment.
Esper had long been preparing for the prospect of his resignation or impeachment after the election, particularly if Trump won a second term, sources said.
Esper particularly angered Trump by opposing his threat to use active duty troops to suppress street protests over racial injustice in the United States over the summer.
He also disagreed with Trump’s dismissive attitude toward the NATO alliance, the sources said.
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