“They are livid,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly. The episode follows more than two years in which many Pentagon leaders have chafed at Trump’s testing of institutional and foreign policy norms, including questioning alliances and injecting partisan rhetoric into military events. Again and again, uniformed and civilian officials have struggled to publicly reconcile Trump’s statements with long-held national security views. Retired Gen. John Allen, meanwhile, campaigned for Hillary Clinton. Mattis has chided other former military officials, including Flynn and Allen, for their political activism.

Source: Washington Post October 19, 2019 21:58 UTC