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Kaine says Hegseth ‘grudge’ against Army looks ‘personal’

You. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said Sunday: Dismissal of General Chris Donahue Apparently because of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “grudge” towards the Army.

“Are you forcing truth-tellers to surround yourself with ‘yes’ men? And the secretary in particular seems to be putting the most pressure on the Army,” Kaine told host Margaret Brennan on CBS News. “Face the Nation.”

“He served in the Army, he felt like he wasn’t treated well by the Army, it’s a grudge he carries, and it’s been expressed publicly. So when you see Army officers being forced out, you have to wonder, is this a personal thing, or is it really what’s best for the nation?” added the Virginia senator.

Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command, filed papers to retire earlier this week after just over a year on the job, according to a Pentagon official. The Army confirmed to The Hill that Donahue will relinquish command on July 2.

Donahue’s departure was the latest in a long list of military leaders Hegseth has dismissed or pushed out.

They include Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Adm. Lisa Frachetti, the Navy’s chief of naval operations; Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Fagan; Gen. Randy George, the Army’s chief of staff; and Gen. James Mingus, the Army’s deputy chief of staff.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed concern about Donahue’s departure. Sen. Thom Tillis (R.N.C.), a frequent Republican critic of the Trump administration, said Hegseth made an “unforced” mistake in firing Donahue.

“Strong leaders are not threatened by successful commanders. Weak ones are. His paranoid micromanagement of senior military leaders and promotion lists is complete distrust disguised as reform,” Tillis said. he wrote on social media on ThursdayReferring to the Minister of Defense.

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) said the facts about the general’s departure need to come out before observers can reach a conclusion.

“When someone is unexpectedly removed from the chain of command, I do not automatically assume that an inappropriate decision was made by the chain of command,” Higgins, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, told The Hill on Thursday.

Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Sunday that Donahue’s departure “surprised us all.” He also stated that the delegation “has not yet received positive responses from the Pentagon” on the issue.

Earlier this month, the House Armed Services Committee passed a provision in the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that requires the Pentagon to notify Congress in writing within five days why top service members have been suspended or removed from service.

Kaine also noted that Congress is using more “guardrails” on Pentagon layoffs and said senators could consider such proposals when the NDAA reaches the floor of the upper chamber for a vote later this year.

“When we bring this up, I think we’ll have some of our questions answered by then, and if we have to go [further] “You will probably find bipartisan support to put some guardrails in place,” the Virginia Democrat told Brennan.

Filip Timotija and Sudiksha Kochi contributed.

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