Pentagon Tells White House to Stop Politicizing Military [View all]

[Vidal]

The U.S. military does not want to be used by Trump in a game of politics. Good for them.

BY LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The Pentagon has told the White House to stop politicizing the military, amid a furor over a Trump administration order to have the Navy ship named for the late U.S. Sen. John McCain hidden from view during President Donald Trump's recent visit to Japan.

A U.S. defense official said Patrick Shanahan, Trump's acting defense chief, is also considering sending out formal guidance to military units in order to avoid similar problems in the future.

Shanahan confirmed details about a Navy email that said the White House military office wanted the USS John McCain kept "out of sight" when Trump was in Japan about a week ago. The internal Navy email came to light last week, triggering a storm of outrage.

Trump, who long feuded with McCain, has said he knew nothing about the request, but added that "somebody did it because they thought I didn't like him, OK? And they were well-meaning, I will say."

link: https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2019-06-02/pentagon-tells-white-house-to-stop-politicizing-military