President Trump said on Wednesday that he had “essentially” fired Defense Secretary Jim Mattis last month because he was dissatisfied with the retired Marine general’s performance in the top civilian job at the Pentagon. Mr. Mattis resigned on Dec. 20 after failing to persuade Mr. Trump to change his mind about withdrawing the 2,000 American troops now in Syria. In a stunning letter of resignation, Mr. Mattis outlined his own views about the value of alliances and wrote that the president was entitled to have a defense secretary whose views were “better aligned with yours.”Mr. Mattis said he planned to remain at the Pentagon through February to allow for an orderly transition. But after his letter received intense media coverage, Mr. Trump abruptly ordered him to leave the job as of Jan. 1.

Source: New York Times January 02, 2019 20:03 UTC