Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) on Wednesday raised alarms over a new report about potential plans by President-elect Donald Trump to purge military leaders at the Pentagon.
While appearing on CNN, Ryan was asked about Trump’s decision to nominate Fox News personality Pete Hegseth to be his defense secretary.
Ryan, a former military intelligence officer, did not mince words about the dangers such a nomination would pose.
“This is such a serious time in the world and, arguably, the most serious cabinet position,” he said. “I just don’t think he’s a serious person from an unserious president who dodged the draft five times, called our troops suckers and losers, fundamentally misunderstands what selfless service is about.”
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Ryan then brought up a recent Wall Street Journal report about a potential executive order that would create an outside board with the power to fast-track the removal of three- and four-star officers from the military.
“A proposed executive order about military purges, echoing Stalin’s military purges, and Hegseth has been on the record supporting that kind of thing,” he said. “We, especially on the Armed Services Committee, are going to have to keep a watchful eye on somebody like this. He would be one of the most political and one of the least qualified secretary of defenses in history.”
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