Published 07:46 IST, November 10th 2020
US Defense Secy Mark Esper issues first response after Trump terminates him on Twitter
Mark Esper, who President Donald Trump fired as his Defense Secretary on Monday said he accepted the US President's decision to replace him, reported CNN
United States President Donald Trump on Monday fired his Defence Secretary Mark Esper. Trump's first firing of his Cabinet colleagues comes days after major media outlets declared that he has lost the November 3 elections to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. According to CNN, Mark Esper said that he has accepted Trump's decision to replace him.
'I accept your decision to replace me'
"I serve the country in deference to the Constitution, so I accept your decision to replace me. I step aside knowing there is much we achieved at the Defense Department over the last eighteen months to protect the nation and improve the readiness, capabilities, and professionalism of the joint force, while fundamentally transforming and preparing the military for the future," said Esper in a letter.
Trump's decision to replace Esper also comes days after the former Defence Secretary in an interview told The Military Times that he was not a "yes man" for the President. "My frustration is I sit here and say, Hm, 18 Cabinet members. Who's pushed back more than anybody?' Name another Cabinet secretary that's pushed back, he told The Military Times. "Have you seen me on a stage saying, 'Under the exceptional leadership of blah-blah-blah, we have blah-blah-blah-blah?'" he said, according to PTI.
According to CNN, Esper had been on shaky ground with the White House for months, a rift that deepened after he said in June that he did not support using active-duty troops to quell the large-scale protests across the United States triggered by the death of George Floyd by police. He also said military forces should be used in a law enforcement role only as a last resort.
Travel to India to attend the 2+2 ministerial meeting was Esper's last foreign travel as Defence Secretary. Esper was appointed as the Secretary of Defence in 2019, replacing James Mattis.
Updated 07:46 IST, November 10th 2020