Day 700: Mattis quits, sharply rebukes Trump in resignation letter

For Secretary of Defense James Mattis, a retired four-star Marine general, Donald Trump’s reckless and bizarre decision to pull American troops out of Syria, while declaring that ISIS has been vanquished, was apparently a bridge too far. He notified Trump that he will be resigning his post in February.

“Mad Dog” Mattis was often used a political puppy by Trump, who referred to Mattis as one of “my generals” frequently. Yet Mattis took the head-patting in stride, honorably keeping U.S. security as his chief priority. But as his influence with Trump waned, Mattis could see that staying in Trump’s Cabinet was irrelevant: Trump was going to make crazy decisions with him there or not.

So he’s leaving.

And while Trump characterized the move as a retirement on Twitter, Mattis’ resignation letter made it clear exactly why he was leaving, writing, in part:

“My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion on these issues. We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.

“Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.”

Mattis carefully crafted his letter and knew it would be published for the public to read. He could not have made it more transparent that he believes that his intelligence and experience have been overlooked while Trump continues to put all types of U.S. interests — including security, economic and moral — in peril.

700 days in, 762 to go

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