Defense Secretary Jim Mattis leaving his job after clash with Trump over Syria
WASHINGTON – A day after announcing he would pull U.S. troops out of Syria, President Donald Trump said Thursday that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will leave the Pentagon Feb. 28.
While Trump said Mattis was retiring, Mattis released a letter at the Pentagon indicating he is stepping down because of differences with Trump over the treatment of America's closest allies and other national security concerns.
"General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations," Trump tweeted. "A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!"
General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years. During Jim’s tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018
News of Mattis' resignation in protest was greeted with dismay on Capitol Hill. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump of "plunging the country into chaos" following Mattis' announcement, the failure to avert a government shutdown and tumult in financial markets.
Republicans expressed deep anxiety about Mattis' departure. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., retweeted the Mattis letter, and said it "makes it abundantly clear that we are headed towards a series of grave policy errors which will endanger our nation." Rubio called for greater "oversight" of Trump administration policies.
Trump did not mention his disputes with Mattis, 68, who had urged retention of U.S. troops in Syria; Trump announced Wednesday that he had ordered a full withdrawal of some 2,000 troops from that country.
More: Trump orders US troops out of Syria, declares victory over ISIS
In his letter to Trump, Mattis acknowledged his differences with Trump over the need for alliances and bluntly tells him that he should choose a different chief for the Defense Department.
“Because you have the right to have a secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is time for me to step down from my position,” Mattis wrote.
Mattis made plain his differences with Trump over the need to keep the U.S. engaged with allies and partners in dealing with world crises. It was a pointed reference to Trump’s regular disparagement of U.S. allies who he blames for not paying what he believes is their fair share of the burden of defense. In particular, Trump has criticized member countries of NATO, an alliance that Mattis reveres.
Mattis also took a swipe at Trump’s tweet Thursday in which he defended his decision to withdraw 2,000 troops from Syria. America, Trump tweeted, should not act as the world’s “policeman.”
“Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world,” Mattis wrote. “Instead, we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense, including providing effective leadership to our alliances.”
Mattis also pointed to the need to confront China and Russia, noting that his views were influenced by more than 40 years in uniform.
"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues," Mattis wrote.
Trump and Mattis met Thursday to discuss his future and agreed on a separation, officials said.
An official said Trump and Mattis “had a difference of opinion about Syria,” but officials disputed the idea that was the proximate cause of Mattis’ decision. The two have had disagreements for a long time now, officials said.
“I don’t know if there was a specific event,” an official said. “But things change.”
“There were things he obviously didn’t agree with the president on,” one official said of Mattis.
Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to the president, played down the significance of Mattis’ departure, telling CNN that it is “very normal at this point in an administration to have turnover.”
Miller said Trump has a “fabulous” relationship with Mattis but that “this president got elected to get our foreign policy back on the right track after years of being adrift.”
A Secretary of Defense quitting over a public disagreement with a President whose foreign policy he believes has gone off the rails is a national security crisis. No way around it.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) December 20, 2018
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., tweeted Thursday that Mattis' resignation represents a "national security crisis."
Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., who was critical of Trump's decision to withdraw from Syria, said Mattis was giving Trump advice he "needs to hear."
This is a sad day. General Mattis was giving advice POTUS needs to hear. Mattis rightly believes that Russia & China are adversaries, and that we are at war with jihadists across the globe who plot to kill Americans. Isolationism is a weak strategy that will harm Americans...
— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) December 20, 2018
Trump was overjoyed when he nominated Mattis, frequently describing him as “Mad Dog” and announcing his appointment at a post-election political rally. Mattis detests the nickname and prefers "Chaos," as some in the military call him.
At the opening of his administration, Trump referred to "his generals," retired brass who held senior positions in his administration. They included Mattis, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, who served as secretary of Homeland Security and later chief of staff, Army lieutenant generals H.R. McMaster and Michael Flynn, who served as national security advisers. They are all gone, or soon to depart.
Officials said Trump hopes to nominate a successor as soon as possible.
Read Mattis' resignation letter below.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis leaving his job after clash with Trump over Syria
