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groundloop

(11,487 posts)
Tue Sep 8, 2020, 03:39 PM Sep 2020

White House tries to walk back Trump attack on Pentagon chiefs as beholden to arms dealers

Source: ABC News

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Tuesday tried to walk back an attack from President Donald Trump on the nation's military leaders in which he claimed "the top people in the Pentagon" aren't happy with him because he wants to get the U.S. out of wars while they are beholden to arms dealers.

Meadows told White House reporters Tuesday morning that he had spoken with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and other top officials, claiming they know Trump's striking comments Monday weren't aimed at them.

"Those comments are not directed specifically at them as much as it is what we all know happens in Washington, D.C. This president is consistent about one thing, if we're going to send our sons and daughters abroad to fight on our behalf, he's not going to let some lobbyists here in Washington, D.C., just because they want a new defense contract, suggest that they need to stay abroad one minute longer than they should," he said.

"That comment was more directed about the military industrial complex," Meadows continued, adding that no other president has been as good as Trump at giving "the equipment to our military men and women that need it."





Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/white-house-walks-back-trump-attack-pentagon-chiefs/story?id=72877389&cid=clicksource_4380645_1_heads_hero_live_hero_hed




(Mark Esper is a former defense industry lobbyist for Raytheon.)
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White House tries to walk back Trump attack on Pentagon chiefs as beholden to arms dealers (Original Post) groundloop Sep 2020 OP
So Meadows has let the top people in the Pentagon know that EarlG Sep 2020 #1
... Qutzupalotl Sep 2020 #2
This was probably the closest-to-honest thing I recall Trump ever saying mr_lebowski Sep 2020 #3
It's not just that nitpicker Sep 2020 #4
Secretary of Defense Esper was the lobbyist for Raytheon. Trump picked him. Cicada Sep 2020 #5
Bullshit.. trying to cover for trump's big ugly mouth again. Cha Sep 2020 #6
Defense spending has gone up significantly every year under Trump. Make7 Sep 2020 #7
Who you gonna believe... orwell Sep 2020 #8
Oh, no! Heaven forbid! Grins Sep 2020 #9
So tired of their lying BS to defend what the virus said. Lock him up. Sep 2020 #10
This is a unrecoverable misstep. Pure disaster. marble falls Sep 2020 #11

EarlG

(21,892 posts)
1. So Meadows has let the top people in the Pentagon know that
Tue Sep 8, 2020, 03:44 PM
Sep 2020

when Trump said "the top people in the Pentagon," he wasn't talking about them.

 

mr_lebowski

(33,643 posts)
3. This was probably the closest-to-honest thing I recall Trump ever saying
Tue Sep 8, 2020, 03:46 PM
Sep 2020

So of course he's furiously trying to walk it back.

People like Esper are in fact exactly who this should have been directed at.

nitpicker

(7,153 posts)
4. It's not just that
Tue Sep 8, 2020, 04:23 PM
Sep 2020

LOTS of O-6s and above retire and go through the revolving door into a defense industry job.

Cicada

(4,533 posts)
5. Secretary of Defense Esper was the lobbyist for Raytheon. Trump picked him.
Tue Sep 8, 2020, 04:26 PM
Sep 2020

Trump pushed arm sales to Saudi after they murdered Khasshogi.

Trump is the corrupt one.

Make7

(8,543 posts)
7. Defense spending has gone up significantly every year under Trump.
Tue Sep 8, 2020, 05:21 PM
Sep 2020
Trump: "I’m not saying the military is in love with me; the soldiers are. The top people in the Pentagon probably aren’t because they want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy."

Mr. Meadows, I'm not sure if giving the Military-Industrial-Complex more money is going to diminish their influence.

Grins

(7,132 posts)
9. Oh, no! Heaven forbid!
Tue Sep 8, 2020, 05:56 PM
Sep 2020

“We weren’t talking about YOU WAR PROFITEERS. It was THOSE war profiteers, waaaaaay over there...”

Lock him up.

(6,873 posts)
10. So tired of their lying BS to defend what the virus said.
Tue Sep 8, 2020, 06:14 PM
Sep 2020

Why don't reporters go ask the orange feces what he meant by "at the top of the Pentagon" exactly?

Oh... Ok, we know. As soon as they ask him any question, he doesn't answer, then changes the subject, etc.

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