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US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper at the Pentagon March 5, 2020 in Arlington, Virginia.
Yasin Ozturk | Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
WASHINGTON – In a pair of tweets on Monday afternoon, President Donald Trump said he ended his Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.
“I am pleased to announce that Christopher C. Miller, the highly respected director of the National Counterterrorism Center (unanimously confirmed by the Senate), will be Acting Secretary of Defense, effective immediately,” said writes Trump.
A Defense Department spokesperson declined to comment and referred CNBC to the White House.
Latest revelation comes as Trump refuses to accept presidential election results and on the heels of an NBC News report that Esper had prepared his resignation letter, bracing for inevitable dismissal from the Trump administration .
Miller, a career military official, was sworn in as director of the National Counterterrorism Center in August. Previously, he had been responsible for policy at the National Security Council.
Christopher Miller, director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), speaks during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs in Washington, DC, the United States, Thursday, September 24, 2020.
Joshua Roberts | Bloomberg | Getty Images
In an extraordinary break with Trump, Esper told reporters in June he did not support the invocation of the Insurgency Act, a 1807 law that would allow Trump to deploy active-duty U.S. troops to respond to civil unrest resulting from protests against police brutality across the country.
“I say this not only as Secretary of Defense, but also as a former soldier and former member of the National Guard, the ability to use active forces in a law enforcement role should not be expected. be used only as a last resort, and only in the most urgent and dire situations. We’re not in one of those situations right now, ”Esper said.
“I am not in favor of invoking the law on insurgency,” he added.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks as U.S. President Donald Trump listens during the Daily White House Coronavirus Press Conference April 1, 2020 in Washington, DC.
Win McNamee | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Hours later, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Trump had “sole authority” to move forward with the measure. When asked if the president was angered by Esper’s comments at the Pentagon, McEnany gave a lukewarm response.
“I would say if he loses faith in Secretary Esper, I’m sure you will all be the first to know. At the moment, Secretary Esper is still Secretary Esper, and if the President loses faith, we’ll all find out. into the future, ”McEnany said at the time.
Esper, who was previously Secretary of the Army, rose to the top spot in the Pentagon in June 2019.
His tenure as a senior Pentagon official followed the resignation of Trump’s first defense secretary, James Mattis, and acting defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan.
James Mattis, U.S. Secretary of Defense, right, and Patrick Shanahan, Assistant Secretary of Defense, wait outside the Pentagon before an event in Washington, DC, Thursday, August 9, 2018.
Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg via Getty Images
Much like his predecessor, Shanahan, Esper rose to the top spot in the largest federal agency with limited foreign policy experience.
Prior to becoming the 27th Secretary of Defense, Esper was a Raytheon executive. He left the defense giant to become the 23rd Secretary of the United States Army in 2017.
He graduated from the United States Military Academy and served in the Gulf War from 1990 to 1991 with the Army’s 101st Airborne Division. After active duty, he served in the Army Reserve and in both the Virginia and District of Columbia National Guard before retiring in 2007.
CNBC’s Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.
This is the latest news. Please come back for updates.
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