Sen. Hirono: “Every Member of Congress took an oath to support the Constitution and that oath compels each of us to push back against the President’s dangerous attempt to politicize our military.”
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, following President Trump’s firing of senior military leaders, including General Charles “CQ” Brown, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the Chief of Naval Operations, General James Slife, the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, all Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement condemning the firings and calling on her Republican colleagues to speak out against the politicization of the military:
“President Trump’s decision to fire General CQ Brown, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, General James Slife, and the senior uniformed attorneys of the Army, Navy, and Air Force is an incredibly reckless decision that dangerously politicizes our military and undermines our national security, military readiness, and the rule of law, ultimately making Americans less safe.
“These senior leaders have faithfully and apolitically served our country for decades, providing exactly what the Constitution expects of them - their best military advice to civilian leadership. There is no reasonable justification for these terminations. Instead, the dismissals reveal the President’s true intention - installing a group of “yes men” with fealty to him and not the Constitution or the American people. It’s also revealing that General Brown and Admiral Franchetti, both fired, are the only person of color and woman, respectively, serving on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“The firings of each of the Services’ senior uniformed legal advisors is particularly troubling and completely unprecedented. These nonpartisan attorneys serve continuously in both Republican and Democratic administrations, without fear or favor. Our military leaders rely on them to provide their best legal advice, regardless of party. It’s clear these individuals were singled out to ensure their successors understood that only the President’s expansive and legally dubious interpretations of military law would be tolerated. Ultimately, these dismissals will have a chilling effect on the willingness of uniformed attorneys to speak truth to power, undermining the rule of law.
“At a time of global uncertainty, we need steady, experienced leadership at the highest levels of our military. While President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have claimed repeatedly they want the military to focus solely on “lethality,” firing senior leaders willing to push back and installing “yes men” in their place will have the opposite effect. My Republican colleagues say they care about the military and are willing to spend billions more to increase lethality, but shamefully put their heads in the sand as the President threatens the foundation of our military and our democracy with these unprecedented firings. Now is the time for all of my colleagues, Republican and Democrat, to prove they really care about the military by pushing back against this brazenly political attack.
“Preserving the integrity of our armed forces is not a partisan issue. Every Member of Congress took an oath to support the Constitution and that oath compels each of us to push back against the President’s dangerous attempt to politicize our military.”
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