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Four senior civil servants have been fired or resigned since Monday, including Esper, his chief of staff, and top officials who oversee policy and intelligence. They were replaced by alleged Trump loyalists, including a controversial figure who promoted fringe conspiracy theories and called former President Barack Obama a terrorist.
A senior defense official told CNN late Tuesday that “it looks like we have ended the beheadings for now,” referring to the wave of toppled civilian leaders, including Esper.
But the moves are likely only adding to the sense of chaos within the Pentagon following Trump’s firing of Esper. The president ruled it out two days after his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, was projected as the winner of the presidential election, a conclusion that Trump has refused to accept. Concerns are growing that a chaotic transition period could undermine national security.
While top officials have been grappling with Trump’s unpredictable decision-making since he took office, the current level of uncertainty has steadily increased since the election.
Knowledgeable sources told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday that the White House now appears to be focused on going after Esper’s undersecretaries at the Defense Department following his firing on Monday. Esper was replaced by Christopher Miller, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center.
Sources said the effort could be due to Esper and his team rejecting a premature withdrawal from Afghanistan that would take place before required conditions on the ground and other pending security concerns were met.
“This is scary, it is very disturbing,” a defense official told CNN. “These are dictatorial movements.”
Conspiracy theorists and Trump loyalists
Among those who took on new roles in the Defense Department was the controversial retired Brigadier. Gen. Anthony Tata, who took over the Pentagon’s top political post, taking over from James Anderson, who resigned on Tuesday, according to another US defense official.
Tata had been nominated to be undersecretary of defense for policy this summer, but his nomination was withdrawn due to bipartisan opposition.
After the withdrawal of his nomination, Tata was appointed “the official who performs the functions of the deputy undersecretary of defense for politics”, informing Anderson.
Tata is widely viewed as a Trump loyalist who maintained White House support even as Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee signaled they were unwilling to support his confirmation earlier this year.
Anderson had served as Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy since John Rood was fired by the Trump administration in February due to disagreements on a variety of political issues.
It was not immediately clear whether Anderson had been asked to resign.
Anderson has been with the Pentagon since 2018, first serving as undersecretary of defense for strategy, plans and capabilities and then as deputy undersecretary of defense for policy before assuming the senior policy post following Rood’s impeachment.
In his farewell message to his staff members, Anderson said: “I leave knowing that the team will persevere, regardless of what lies ahead. I encourage everyone to remain mission-focused, apolitical and never forget your oath of office. “.
Democrats were alarmed by the events.
“It’s hard to overstate how dangerous high-level turnover in the Defense Department is during a presidential transition period. The resignation of the top policy professional in the Department the day after the Secretary of Defense was fired could mark the beginning of a process. to gut the Defense Department, something that should alarm all Americans, “House Armed Services Speaker Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington state, said Tuesday.
Anderson was not the only senior figure to depart Tuesday.
Retired Navy Vice Admiral Joseph Kernan, undersecretary of defense for intelligence, has also stepped down, according to another defense official. It was not immediately clear if Kernan had resigned or was fired, but his departure has accelerated.
Kash Patel will be Miller’s chief of staff, according to an administration official and a US defense official. Patel, who most recently served as senior director for counterterrorism on the National Security Council, is a controversial figure who previously worked with Republican Rep. Devin Nunes of California on the House Intelligence Committee.
He was one of the names mentioned during the House impeachment inquiry into the administration’s decision to delay military aid to Ukraine last year.
Patel has a “very close” working relationship with Miller, the administration official said.
Ezra Cohen-Watnick has also been appointed to a new position and will be the acting undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security, according to the Pentagon, replacing Kernan.
‘It’s crazy’
Multiple civilian and military officials working within the Pentagon are raising the question of whether the departure of Esper and other officials will now clear the way for Trump in his final weeks in office to call back on initiatives he wants to carry out and that the Pentagon is opposed.
One would again raise the specter of using active duty forces under the Insurrection Law against any future protests. Another potential raised by officials is that he would override the military advice he has been given and bring troops home from Afghanistan for Christmas.
American military officials have long emphasized that the American withdrawal from Afghanistan is based on conditions, and those conditions include the Taliban severing ties with al Qaeda and advancing peace talks with the Afghan government, two conditions that have yet to be reached. have been fulfilled.
But despite the lack of progress, the Trump administration has already substantially reduced US troops in Afghanistan to around 4,500, the lowest levels since the early days of the post-9/11 campaign.
Miller, whom Trump appointed to head the Pentagon for what will likely be the rest of his administration, has been a driving force behind some of Trump’s policies targeting Iran and its proxy group Hezbollah, as well as linked counterterrorism efforts. to the wars in Syria and Iraq.
Before heading the NCTC, Miller was director of counterterrorism at the National Security Council.
Miller, a native of Iowa and a retired US Army officer, has also served as deputy assistant secretary of defense. Miller was seen arriving at the Pentagon on Monday afternoon and, shortly after, met with Milley and other senior staff to receive critical briefings on topics such as nuclear codes and military operations around the world. Miller told officials not to expect “significant changes at this time,” the official said.
But after less than 24 hours with Miller at work, the top Defense Department official in charge of politics resigned.
“It’s crazy,” said one official.
Officials note that by eliminating Esper and other top officials, Biden’s transition team will lose the benefit of their experience.
Some officials have also questioned whether Miller has the experience to replace Esper, even as an actor.
“Miller is in the lead,” in part because he was a relatively low-level official with a background focused on counterterrorism, an official told CNN.
The official said that while Miller was a good guy, he described Miller as a “tool” and a “vassal of the NSC” who got in to get the job done.
The official added that no one at the Pentagon understands what the big plan is.
Esper’s firing also raised concerns that other senior national security officials who have earned Trump’s ire may be vulnerable.
CNN reported Monday that Trump and some of his conservative allies have grown increasingly frustrated with CIA Director Gina Haspel in recent weeks, accusing her of delaying the release of documents they believe would expose so-called “plots”. deep state “against Trump’s campaign and transition during the Obama administration, according to multiple current and former officials.
FBI Director Christopher Wray also drew Trump’s ire, fueling some uncertainty about his future, according to the same sources.
This story has been updated with additional developments, background information, and context.
CNN’s Jake Tapper, Em Steck, Andrew Kaczynski, Nathan McDermott, and Nicole Gaouette contributed to this report.
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