Lt. Gen. James Mattis

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Mattis Sees Putin as Fearful, Invasion as Incompetent

Former defense secretary calls serving under Trump 'raucous times'

(Newser) - In an homage to Russian literature, if not Russian competence, former US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday that President Vladimir Putin is a mess. And so is his invasion of Ukraine, the retired general told a forum in Seoul, the Voice of America reports. "Putin is a creature...

At Elizabeth Holmes' Trial, a Familiar but Unexpected Face

Ex-SecDef James Mattis testified that former Theranos CEO misled him on blood-testing tech

(Newser) - Former US Secretary of Defense James Mattis testified Wednesday in the trial of fallen tech star Elizabeth Holmes, saying the entrepreneur misled him into believing she was on the verge of rolling out a blood-testing breakthrough that he hoped would help save lives of troops in battle. Mattis' appearance came...

The Blame Game Has Started
Let the Blame Game Begin
THE RUNDOWN
Jan 7, 2021 7:54 AM CST

Let the Blame Game Begin

Sens. Hawley, Cruz accused of spurring Wednesday's violence, along with Trump

(Newser) - Lots of people are laying blame for Wednesday's violence at the Capitol on President Trump. But the Kansas City Star editorial board points to another Republican: Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley. The 41-year-old senator elected in 2018 "deserves an impressive share of the blame for the blood that's...

From All 10 Ex-Defense Secretaries, an 'Exceptional' Op-Ed

They note Biden has won, warn the military has no place getting involved in any election disputes

(Newser) - "The time for questioning the results has passed; the time for the formal counting of the electoral college votes, as prescribed in the Constitution and statute, has arrived." So reads an unusual op-ed that appeared Sunday in the Washington Post , co-signed by all 10 living ex-defense secretaries. The...

Trump Changes Story on Assassinating Assad

He now says he wanted to have Syrian leader killed, but 'terrible general' Mattis objected

(Newser) - President Trump slammed former Defense Secretary James Mattis Tuesday—but also backed up a report he had criticized Bob Woodward for writing in 2018. Trump told Fox & Friends that he wanted to assassinate Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2017, but Mattis objected. "I would have rather taken him...

Top US General Apologizes for This Image
Top US General Apologizes
for This Image
updated
Jun 11, 2020 11:46 AM CDT

Top US General Apologizes for This Image

Mark Milley, joint chiefs chairman, says he shouldn't have walked with Trump

(Newser) - The fallout from President Trump's now-famous walk from the White House to St. John's Church continues: On Thursday, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff apologized for joining the president on that June 1 walk in military fatigues, reports CNN . "I should not have been there,...

GOP's Murkowski: This Criticism of Trump Is 'Overdue'

Alaska senator praises Jim Mattis' comments about the president

(Newser) - President Trump now has a critic among Republican senators whose name isn't Romney . Alaska's Lisa Murkowski on Thursday praised former defense chief Jim Mattis' strong condemnation of Trump's actions in response to the George Floyd protests, reports the Hill . “I thought General Mattis’ words were true...

Trump Responds to Mattis' Scathing Rebuke

President calls his ex-defense secretary 'overrated'

(Newser) - James Mattis pulled no punches Wednesday in a statement blasting President Trump for his response to the George Floyd protests, calling Trump "the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people." Trump fired back at his ex-defense secretary later that evening, per...

James Mattis Takes the Gloves Off in Trump Statement

The former defense secretary finally speaks up

(Newser) - Silent, no longer. Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis ripped into President Trump on Wednesday in a statement brimming with anger, the Atlantic reports. Mattis had declined to criticize the president after resigning from the administration in 2018 over Trump's Syria policy, saying it was inappropriate for an ex-general...

Man Who Cracked Primary Colors Thinks He Knows 'Anonymous'

Kusnet believes author is Mattis speechwriter

(Newser) - David Kusnet, the former Bill Clinton speechwriter who deduced that Joe Klein wrote Primary Colors, believes he has figured out the identity of another anonymous author. Kusnet writes in the New Republic that he strongly suspects, based on a "close reading of the text," that the author of...

After Reported Insult From Trump, Mattis Pushes Back

'I'm the Meryl Streep of generals,' he joked at Alfred E. Smith dinner

(Newser) - In an interview published in August, James Mattis promised that his silence on all things Trump wouldn't be "eternal." CNN reports that on Thursday evening, the former defense secretary lifted the veil just a bit, making joke s about the president at the annual Alfred E. Smith...

Trump's Syria Decision Seen as Significant Policy Shift
Only 150 Troops Involved,
but Stakes Are Much Bigger
the rundown
Oct 7, 2019 10:55 AM CDT

Only 150 Troops Involved, but Stakes Are Much Bigger

Trump defends a Syrian withdrawal, while critics warn of the dangers

(Newser) - The US isn't withdrawing all of its troops from Syria, but it is withdrawing the 150 or so soldiers stationed at two posts near the Syrian border with Turkey. However, the small numbers involved belie the major foreign policy implications at stake. The move will allow Turkey to stage...

Ex-Defense Chief: My Silence Won't Be 'Eternal'
Ex-Defense Chief:
'I Had No
Choice but
to Leave'
interview
Aug 29, 2019 12:30 PM CDT

Ex-Defense Chief: 'I Had No Choice but to Leave'

James Mattis says his silence will not be 'eternal'

(Newser) - In an interview with the Atlantic , former defense chief James Mattis makes clear he is not ready to start bad-mouthing President Trump or his policies. But he also suggested that may change. “There is a period in which I owe my silence," he tells Jeffrey Goldberg. "It’...

Mattis: There's a Marine Saying That America Should Follow

'When you're going to a gunfight, bring all your friends with guns'

(Newser) - In an excerpt from his upcoming book that appears in the Wall Street Journal , former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis shares the two times then-president-elect Donald Trump surprised him: First in requesting he come to New Jersey to discuss the position at all (he had never met Trump and knew Congress...

Days After Mattis Leaves, Another Resignation at the Pentagon

'Time to return to private sector:' Rear Adm. Kevin Sweeney is out as chief of staff

(Newser) - Just days after Jim Mattis' last day as Defense secretary, another member of the Pentagon's top brass has abruptly stepped down, reports CNN . Defense Department chief of staff Kevin Sweeney, a retired rear admiral who has served in his current role since January 2017, is stepping down. "I'...

In Mattis' Farewell Message to Staff, an 1865 Quotation

He urges defense employees to stay focused on their mission

(Newser) - Outgoing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is quoting President Abraham Lincoln in a farewell message to defense employees, urging them to stay focused on their mission. Mattis quoted from a letter Lincoln wrote in 1865 to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. It said: "Let nothing which is transpiring, change, hinder, or...

Trump Takes Parting Shot at Mattis
Trump Takes Parting
Shot at Mattis
Dec 24, 2018 11:29 AM CST

Trump Takes Parting Shot at Mattis

Says outgoing defense chief doesn't see that other nations 'take total advantage' of US

(Newser) - President Trump is showing defense chief James Mattis to the door on Jan. 1, earlier than expected , and on Monday the president got in a parting shot. The US, wrote Trump, is subsidizing the militaries of rich nations who are taking "total advantage" of America in the process, reports...

Mattis Gets Pushed Out
Mattis Not Leaving in February
Dec 23, 2018 12:20 PM CST

Mattis Not Leaving in February

The defense secretary is leaving Jan. 1, Trump says

(Newser) - President Trump announced on Sunday that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will now leave his post on Jan. 1, tweeting that deputy Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan will take over as acting secretary to cover the accelerated departure, the AP reports. The move comes just three days after Mattis resigned in protest...

Trump Tweets That He Gave Mattis a 'Second Chance'

President gives his reaction to the resignation

(Newser) - Outgoing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis got a "second chance" from President Trump, or so the president wrote on Twitter Saturday night. Trump didn't mean he himself doled out two chances but rather that he gave that second one after "President Obama ingloriously fired" Mattis. That happened in...

Why Mattis' Resignation 'Puts Trump's Presidency in Peril'

Pundits weigh in

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will step down from his post by the end of February, and his resignation letter made clear that his lack of alignment with President Trump drove the decision. Here's how the news is being received by pundits:
  • Fred Kaplan, Slate : Kaplan takes issue with Trump'
...

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