Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) accused those within the Pentagon of trying to protect certain norms and policies that the incoming Trump administration is expected to target.
In a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Cotton wrote, “There is a strong basis for partisans and obstructionists within the Pentagon to oppose or circumvent President Trump's plans to reform both the military and the civil service.'' “It appears that the party is working on such a strategy,” he said, referring to reports that the party is developing such a strategy. Department of Defense employee.
“These actions undermine civilian control of the military and our nation's constitutional structure of government.”
Cotton accused the secretary and department leaders of allegedly beginning to strategize on how to thwart Trump's policies. (Reuters)
Earlier this month, officials said there were “informal discussions” among Pentagon officials about what the Pentagon would do if President Trump ordered the military for domestic purposes or laid off significant numbers of employees. It was reported. CNN.
The report quotes an unnamed defense official as saying that “the military is legally required to disobey illegal orders.”
“But the question is, what happens next? Will we see resignations from military leaders? Or will they see it as an abandonment of the people?” they reportedly asked.
Congress has just a few weeks to avoid a partial government shutdown after Thanksgiving
The Pentagon is visible from a plane taking off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
During his campaign, President-elect Trump promised to transform the federal government through personnel changes and organizational restructuring. Some reports say certain people are being considered for termination if he takes office again. Trump's ally, former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, has been vocal about his belief that the size of the federal government needs to be reduced.
Ramaswamy was selected by President Trump to lead the new administration's planned Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), along with billionaire businessman Elon Musk. The proposed division has the goal of reducing the size of government, cutting spending and increasing efficiency.
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President Trump has expressed interest in reforming the Department of Defense. (Alison Robert/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
In his letter, Cotton criticized Lloyd for “spreading false claims that the incoming administration plans to arbitrarily fire uniformed leaders.”
The president also accused the secretary of sending a message after the election that the military would specifically follow Trump's “lawful orders.” Cotton said this was a “veiled and unsubstantiated insinuation that President Trump would issue an illegal order.”
“It must be observed that these actions and reports only prove the need for reform and fundamental change in the Department of Defense. These tactics are also futile because no action by the administration can limit the actions of the Department of Defense, which gives the president-elect the constitutional authority to serve as commander-in-chief,” the Arkansas Republican wrote. Ta.
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Cotton alerted the Pentagon that they were undermining the president-elect. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
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Mr. Cotton was recently elected chairman of the Senate Republican Conference in the new Congress. He is also expected to replace Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
The Department of Defense did not immediately provide Fox News Digital with comment regarding the purpose of this article.
