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WASHINGTON – The Pentagon on Tuesday elevated three Trump loyalists to powerful positions a day after the sudden dismissal of Defense Secretary Mark Esper and the resignation of several senior Department of Defense officials.
The latest revelation comes as President Donald Trump rejected the results of last week’s election. Trump did not concede Democrat Joe Biden, who on Saturday got more than the 270 votes needed to win the presidency.
In a lengthy statement released Tuesday afternoon, the Pentagon said Anthony Tata, Ezra Cohen-Watnick and Kash Patel had been promoted to key roles.
Tata now works as a senior official in charge of Undersecretary of Defense for Politics, following the resignation of James Anderson.
Tata, a retired Army general who has become a pro-Trump expert on Fox News, joined the Department of Defense earlier this year. Trump had appointed him to a role that required confirmation from the Senate, but lawmakers opposed Tata in the role, and the president instead appointed him to an interim role that did not require confirmation. Tata has a history of Islamophobic comments and has called President Barack Obama a “terrorist leader.”
Cohen-Watnick is set to take over as the new Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, following the resignation of Joseph Kernen.
After being kicked out of the White House in 2017, after working for former national security adviser Michael Flynn, Cohen-Watnick joined the Trump administration earlier this year in a Pentagon role. Flynn was fired from his role and ultimately pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Cohen-Watnick also worked for former Attorney General Jeff Sessions before Sessions was fired in 2018.
Kash Patel, member of the National Security Council, replaces Jen Stewart, the Chief of Staff of the Secretary of Defense. Patel was a staff member of Representative Devin Nunes, R-California, who worked to discredit the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential links between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.
“I would like to thank Dr. Anderson, Admiral Kernan and Jen Stewart for their service to the nation and to the Department. During their careers, each has contributed greatly to national defense and the future of the Department of Defense. . We wish them the best in their next endeavors, ”Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said in a statement.
On Monday, Trump announced on Twitter that he had “fired” Esper and replaced him with Miller, director of the National Counterterrorism Center. The announcement came about five months after he and Esper took a public break on how to handle civil unrest in American cities.
Esper, in an interview with the Military Times days before Trump fired him, warned of problems if he was to be replaced.
“At the end of the day it’s like I said – you have to choose your fights,” Esper told the post. “I could fight for anything, and I could make it a big fight, and I could live with that – why? Who’s going to come behind me? It’s going to be a real ‘yes man.’ And then God help us. . “
Here is the full statement:
As announced yesterday, on November 9, President Trump appointed the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Chris Miller, as acting Secretary of Defense. Mr. Miller took over these duties and responsibilities at midday yesterday. Assistant Secretary of Defense David Norquist remains in his post and continues to carry out his responsibilities.
Today, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Dr. James Anderson, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, Mr. Joseph Kernan and Chief of Staff of the Secretary of Defense, Jen Stewart submitted letters of resignation.
Dr Anderson presented his letter of resignation to the President this morning, effective today. The Acting Secretary of Defense has delegated the responsibilities of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy to Mr. Anthony Tata. In this capacity, Mr. Tata is the senior official serving as the Under-Secretary of Defense for Policy. Previously, he was a senior official serving as the Deputy Under-Secretary of Defense for Policy. Dr Thomas Williams will now serve as Deputy Under-Secretary of Defense for Policy.
As expected for several months, Under Secretary Kernan submitted his letter of resignation, effective today. The current Acting Deputy Defense Secretary for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict Ezra Cohen-Watnick will be the new Acting Deputy Defense Secretary for Intelligence and Security. Mr. Ralph Cacci will continue to serve as Assistant Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.
Also today, Ms. Stewart tendered her resignation as Chief of Staff, effective today. Mr. Kash Patel, currently a staff member of the National Security Council, has been appointed by Acting Secretary Miller as his chief of staff.
Acting Defense Secretary Miller issued the following statement on these personnel changes: “I want to thank Dr. Anderson, Admiral Kernan and Jen Stewart for their service to the nation and the department. During their careers, each has made a significant contribution to national defense and the future of the Department of Defense. We wish them the best in their next endeavors. “”
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