Defense secretary prepares letter of resignation

[mysteryowl]

Defense secretary prepares letter of resignation
Defense secretary Mark Esper has reportedly drafted a letter of resignation and is helping members of Congress draft legislation to remove the names of Confederate generals from military bases.

NBC News reports:

Esper has prepared a letter of resignation, according to three current defense officials.

It’s not uncommon for Cabinet secretaries to prepare undated letters of resignation during a presidential transition, giving the commander in chief the chance to replace them for a second term. The president decides whether to accept the resignation letters, and the process usually occurs after the election results are clear.
But defense officials say Esper prepared his letter because he is one of the Cabinet officials long expected to be pushed out after the election. As his tenure may be coming to an end, Esper is helping members of Congress draft legislation that will strip names of Confederate leaders from military bases in a move that could put him further at odds with President Donald Trump.

The president has repeatedly said he does not support changing the names of military bases, even as Esper and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff have expressed openness to the idea.

[liberalmuse]

1. Knowing Trump's mental state right now, not all that comforting.

Interesting timing, too. I guess better to resign now knowing Trump will go on a firing rampage after he's officially fired.

[captain queeg]

2. I guess he doesn't want the stink of illegal orders to land on him

Not that he's been all that ethical to date, but when trump tries ordering the military to come save him I wouldn't want to be around. I can imagine trump going down a list looking for who might order the military to intercede. He doesn't want to order them himself