Pelosi says Trump intends to create ‘chaos’ by firing Esper

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Nancy Pelosi lambasted Trump for firing Esper amidst the upcoming presidential transition, especially concerning National Security.
• Pelosi called the move was irresponsible, claiming the president is using all his power to create disorder in his remaining days at the White House.
• Mark Esper had several clashes with Trump in the past, and many have anticipated that he would be fired eventually.

On Monday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Rep-Calif.) criticized President Trump for sacking Defense Secretary Mark Esper, two days following Joe Biden’s anticipated win in the 2020 presidential elections.

In a statement, Pelosi said that Secretary Esper’s sudden firing is alarming proof that President Trump is bent on using his last days in office to create chaos in the U.S and global democracy as well.

Stability is always imperative whenever there is a presidential transition, and Trump’s move is unusual at this stage, where his Administration is getting ready for leaving.

Trump posted on Twitter his firing of Esper and confirmed he would be replaced with Christopher Miller, who has been working at the National Counterterrorism Center as director and also as an acting Defense secretary.

However,  Esper has been expected to quit the Trump administration irrespective of the presidential poll outcomes, considering that he and the president did not agree in some instances, such as during the racial justice demonstrations the last summer. Esper has been vocal about his stand against Trump’s plan to activate national troops to suppress the rallies.

Trump and Esper likewise disagreed over changing the name of military bases in memorial of Confederate generals. Esper expressed that replacing the facilities’ names can be discussed but was against the thought. In July, Esper also ordered to remove and ban the use of Confederate flags on military properties.

In August, Trump announced that he plans to fire everyone when asked to comment on dismissing Esper, which initially sparked discussions that he’ll be fired soon.

Esper’s sudden departure has been a concern for many of the military chain of command during the upcoming presidential turnover.

To date, Trump hasn’t conceded to his rival, Biden, nor announced that he accepted the election results.

Pelosi stressed that President Trump’s irresponsible act had placed national security at risk, adding that the military is to be headed by an official who will not be confirmed by the Senate.

In an interview with Military Times released on Monday,  Esper said of Trump’s firing is an indication that he is not a “yes man” as perceived by his critics. He also said no other Cabinet official pushed back against Trump as many as him.

Esper also said that there’s probably no other defense secretaries that would stand and explain to the president the significance of balancing the demands and results of national security matters.

Source: The Hill