The retired general and Trump ally who called Obama a 'terrorist leader' is taking over the Pentagon's top policy job
Retired US Army Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata, a controversial Trump ally and Fox News guest who spread falsehoods about former President Barack Obama, is taking over the Pentagon's top policy post following Tuesday's sudden resignation of James Anderson, Defense One reported.
Tata, who was installed in the Pentagon through an end-run around Congress by the Trump administration, has been performing the duties of the deputy under secretary of defense for policy for Anderson, who had been serving as acting under secretary of defense since John Rood was forced out earlier this year.
A memo written by acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, who replaced Mark Esper Monday, and obtained by Defense One said that Tata will, "effective immediately," be performing the duties of the under secretary of defense for policy, the top Pentagon policy position and the third most important job in the Department of Defense.
The White House tapped Tata to become the next under secretary of defense for policy on June 10. A couple of days later, CNN reported that it had discovered alarming tweets not only critical of Obama but in many cases, objectively false.
He called Obama a "Muslim," a "terrorist" who "normalized Islam for America," and, at one point, a "terrorist leader." The tweets triggered concern among lawmakers.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts tweeted a few days after the CNN report came out that an "Islamaphobic conspiracy theorist who called Obama a 'terrorist leader' should not be #3 at the Pentagon," adding that Tata "is by far Trump's most unqualified & ill-suited senior defense nominee."
In late June, Tata walked back his tweets, saying that he has come to "deeply regret" his previous Twitter posts, most of which have been deleted.
In late July, Tata's Senate confirmation hearing was canceled following strong opposition from Democrats and concern by some Republicans. Tata withdrew his name from consideration in early August, but then the Trump administration appointed him to a related senior position in the Pentagon that does not require congressional approval.
As the senior official performing the duties of the deputy under secretary of defense policy, he reported to Anderson, who Politico reported resigned after confrontations with the White House over personnel issues.
Anderson reportedly opposed attempts by the White House to install controversial persons in the Pentagon, such as Rich Higgins, a conspiracy theorist who was fired from the National Security Council who had been tapped to be Tata's chief of staff.
The Department of Defense did not respond to Insider's request for comment on Tata's new position.
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Tata "deeply regrets" his repeated and baseless slander of Obama.....Uh, why do you think Trump hired you in the first place?
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Who doesn't like a bowl of noodles. Zhajiangmian or more specific Jajangmyeon the Korean version of the dish is one of my favorite dishes when it comes to comfort food. Not so big on the Mountain Yam Salad. The cucumber salad is a side dish at most mealsOriginally posted by surfgun View Post
Yea its to bad that Biden is willing to eat local food and be respectful of a host country instead of doing like the Orange clown and eating hamburgers in Japan.
Is this really all you got?
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Welcoming back an old friend...
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1206133.shtmlLeave a comment:
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Fox News host cuts away from White House press secretary over her unproven claims of widespread voter fraud
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany has officially found the line for Fox News — and crossed it.
On Monday, McEnany continued to peddle the Trump administration's baseless claims that Democrats stole the election, alleging that the party is "welcoming fraud and … welcoming illegal voting." Though Fox News let McEnany run on for some time before cutting in, anchor Neil Cavuto did eventually interrupt. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, I think we have to be very clear," he said after breaking in. "She's charging that the other side is welcoming fraud and illegal voting. Unless she has more details to back that up, I can't in good countenance continue showing you this."
Cavuto added that it is an "explosive charge" to say the other side is "effectively rigging and cheating," and that "if she does bring proof of that we'll of course bring you back."
The press conference had been off to a rocky start to begin with, as McEnany clarified that she was speaking in a "personal capacity," evidently in an attempt to sidestep the Hatch Act, which bans political activity from taking place on federal properties like the White House. Later, when asked to provide any evidence whatsoever of her claims, she told a reporter, "look, what we are asking for here is patience."
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And the Rattus norvegicus desertion continues....Leave a comment:
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While true, most of us still like to believe in the fantasy of a small-r republican citizenry, where voters are well-informed, motivated, and disdainful of poor behavior. This place exists in the same universe as Lake Wobbegon and the small towns in the Hallmark Christmas movies.Leave a comment:
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There is an interesing passage in Steven Pinkers Enlightment Now I wish I could copy and paste it here.Originally posted by astralis View Post
Basicially it conveys that we have deluded oursleves into imagining why democracy works somehow relating to voters carefully deliberating before voting. Research shows that people spend basically no time thinking on these things. And there is a massive disconnect between voter values and who they vote for. Therefore we make a mistake extrapolating Trump voters from Trump himself.
Democracies work beacuse its a practical way to bring about regime change without the need to resort to violence and allows people to complain freely, so not building up exposive dissent.. And there are alot of other features within modern nations which help modern democracies to function. Many of the things that we consider as postive features within democracies are often just bugs.
So Karl Popper bascially suggested reframing Democracy (atleast for poltical scientists) from "Who should rule?" to "How do we change dismiss bad leadership without bloodshed"...This was a ahha moment for me and I felt relieved having reset my expectations for elections.Last edited by tantalus; 09 Nov 20,, 23:15.Leave a comment:
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i know Esper is trying to ensure his name doesn't go down in infamy, but still, how many national security folks have said that Trump is an utter moron and incompetent now?
Trump is frankly the biggest living breathing argument against democracy that I've ever seen. one of the biggest reasons why I hate the man is because he's seriously made me question the intelligence and morals of 71 million of my fellow Americans.
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https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5...en-god-help-us
Esper: If my replacement is 'a real yes man' then 'God help us'
Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in an interview published Monday that if his replacement is “a real yes man” then “God help us.”
In an interview last week with the Military Times, the now-former secretary said he decided to pick his fights with President Trump while as the head of the Department of Defense, adding he had no regrets in how he handled himself.
“At the end of the day, it’s as I said — you’ve got to pick your fights,” he told the Military Times on Nov. 4. “I could have a fight over anything, and I could make it a big fight, and I could live with that —why? Who’s going to come in behind me? It’s going to be a real ‘yes man.’ And then God help us.”
When asked if other Defense secretaries have spent as much time attempting to balance the president’s wishes with their potential national security effects, he said, “Probably not. I don’t know, I’ve only worked for a couple.”
Trump announced he had fired Esper over Twitter, two days after President-elect Joe Biden was projected to have won the presidential election. The president named Christopher Miller, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, as acting secretary of Defense “effective immediately.”
"Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service,” the president posted.
Esper’s relationship with Trump had turned tense over the summer as the former secretary publicly spoke out against Trump’s plan to deploy troops to respond to racial justice protests. He told the Military Times that he had no intention of quitting but expected to be potentially terminated at an unknown time.
The former secretary told the news outlet he “absolutely” would have resigned if Trump overruled the Pentagon’s approval for Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s promotion. Vindman, who testified at Trump’s impeachment inquiry, ultimately resigned from his commission and retired from the Army after his promotion was held up.
Esper’s critics had labeled him as “Yesper” for allegedly going along with Trump’s plans, which the former secretary said he takes issue with.
“My frustration is I sit here and say, ‘Hm, 18 Cabinet members. Who’s pushed back more than anybody?’ Name another Cabinet secretary that’s pushed back,” he said. "Have you seen me on a stage saying, ‘Under the exceptional leadership of blah-blah-blah, we have blah-blah-blah-blah?’ "
But Esper told the Military Times he felt like he had to continue as secretary despite the tensions with Trump and the White House.
“Yeah, look, I mean ― my soldiers don’t get to quit,” he said. “So if I’m going to quit, it better be over something really, really big. And otherwise, look, I’m going to do what I’ve always done, which is try and shape it the best I can.”Leave a comment:
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If it was any other President, they would've waited until their 2nd term officially starts.Originally posted by InExile View Post
In Trump's case, he's purging the disloyal elements of his "Administration". This has been anticipated for quite some time. As his niece Mary quite correctly predicted, he'll spend his last days in the White House "breaking things"Leave a comment:
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Trump fires the Secretary of Defence on Twitter; why now?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/us-esp...ring-1.5795341Leave a comment:
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well, SECDEF just got fired via tweet; looks like "Yesper" wasn't "Yes" enough for him.
should someone tell Trump that making a bunch of personal enemies as he goes out the door is probably ill-advised?Leave a comment:
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