Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom and another state official are facing legal action from a fired Air National Guard general who says he was subjected to anti-Semitic discrimination, harassment and retaliation before being wrongly fired last year. confronting.
Gen. Jeffrey McGrum, a retired Jewish brigadier general, filed the lawsuit on January 24 in a Los Angeles court. Magrum said Maj. Gen. Matthew Beavers, a former superior and current adjutant general in the California Department of Military Affairs, committed numerous anti-Semitic acts over a two-year period that created a hostile work environment, and the complaints are related to his conduct. claims to be doing so. Newsom did not respond.
Magrum said in January 2023 that he would use the military to carry out personal errands, such as taking his mother shopping, and prepare fighter jets for a “possible domestic mission” in early 2020. His dismissal made headlines in the same month after it was reported that he had done so. The coronavirus pandemic raised concerns among officials that the order would result in planes “blasting” civilian protesters in an effort to disperse crowds.
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California Air National Guard Brigadier General Jeffrey McGrumm (retired) (left) and Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom
An internal disciplinary committee substantiated multiple allegations against Magrum before his involuntary transfer to the Air Force Retired Reserve, which media reports at the time said was “concurrent” with his termination.
However, Mr. Magrum disputes these reasons for his dismissal, claiming instead that it was because he objected to Mr. Beavers’ alleged conduct. McGrum said the comments included referring to another general as so cheap as to “give Jews a bad name.” He said of another Jewish serviceman’s attempt to obtain a military discount on a vehicle: “How can a Jew benefit?”
McGrum said each instance of Beavers’ alleged anti-Semitism was witnessed by at least one other senior officer, who reported it to Newsom’s office on six separate occasions.
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After reporting the behavior, Magrum said Beavers’ animosity towards him became apparent as he allegedly began “rehashing and misrepresenting minor issues that had been resolved” a decade earlier. Mr. Beavers claims it was an attempt to force Mr. Beavers out of the department before that happens. The latter will be promoted to lieutenant general in August 2022.
After Magram refused to retire, Beavers unsuccessfully tried to revoke Magram’s disability claim, which had been receiving benefits from the Guard, and later obtained approval from Newsom to terminate his medical evaluation for disability, according to the complaint. However, he ended up losing certain benefits. .
He added that similar complaints about the Beavers to Newsom’s office by other executives were also ignored.
“While I am extremely proud of my more than 37 years of service to California and this great country, I remain deeply concerned about the welfare of the military and civilians currently serving in the Department.” McGrum said in a statement to Fox News. Digital. “The MG Beavers launched an unprecedented smear campaign against me, which was supported by the governor.”
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“We want to ensure that something like this never happens again. MG Beavers’ actions were disturbingly offensive and inexplicable, and he needs to be held accountable,” he added. “It is shocking that Governor Newsom ignored the numerous attempts made to correct this situation and permanently appointed MG Beavers as Adjutant General.”
For comment, Mr. Newsom’s office referred Fox News Digital to the California Department of Military Affairs, which denounced the lawsuit as “retaliatory and baseless,” and said the department “has no trust, confidence, or “I lost confidence in myself,” he said, and provided documents showing that Magrum was fired. his ability to continue to serve as a leader in the organization;
“In 2021, the U.S. Air Force Inspector General investigated Brigadier General Magram for multiple misconduct, including ethics violations and mistreatment of subordinates. On October 26, 2021, the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff issued a letter of reprimand to Brigadier General Magram. for these indiscretions,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
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“This independent action by the Air Force became the basis for removal action initiated by the California Department of Military Affairs to hold General McGrum accountable for his misconduct. The discipline recommended was not implicated in the underlying “The incident was unanimously upheld by a committee of three senior officers,” they said.
“All actions were taken based on independent investigations by the U.S. Air Force and the military inspector generals. We look forward to defending our actions and holding senior leaders accountable for their misconduct.” he added.
