Action follows reports that Esper had resignation letter ready to go.
On Monday afternoon, President Trump announced that he had terminated Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. It is the first Cabinet-level administration official to be fired since the election. The president stated via Twitter, “Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service.”
He will be replaced by National Counterterrorism Center Director Christopher Miller, who will oversee the Department of Defense in an acting capacity.
There was a report late last week that the defense secretary had a resignation letter ready to go, although the chief Pentagon spokesman challenged the report, stating that “Secretary of Defense Esper has no plans to resign, nor has he been asked to submit a letter of resignation.”
Tensions arose between the president and Esper in June when Esper broke with President Trump on whether active-duty military should be deployed to American cities to quell unrest.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Christopher Miller as he assumes the duties of acting secretary of defense.
- For those serving in the military’s upper echelons to cooperatively safeguard the nation.
- For President Trump as he continues to work with members of his administration during the next months to do the nation’s business.
Sources: Wall Street Journal, Business Insider
