"Mark Esper has been terminated," Trump tweeted.
November 9, 2020, 8:39 PM
• 5 min read
Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleAs many had expected, President Donald Trump on Monday said, in a tweet, that he had fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
"I am pleased to announce that Christopher C. Miller, the highly respected Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (unanimously confirmed by the Senate), will be Acting Secretary of Defense, effective immediately.. ...Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service," Trump tweeted.
In this Dec. 10, 2019, file photo, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper looks on during an event at the Pentagon in Washington, DC.
The move comes two days after Trump lost reelection and when he was expected to purge top members of his administration with whom he had long been unhappy.
Trump was particularly displeased that Esper had opposed using active-duty military under the Insurrection Act to deal with the George Floyd protests in June, as the president had threatened to order.
Pentagon officials were scrambling to react to the president's tweet.
According to a U.S. official, Esper had a resignation letter ready and that Esper was strongly considering resigning ahead of a possible firing.
According to a defense official, Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, called Esper to warn him that Trump’s tweet firing him was coming, but the official did not know how much in advance Meadows called Esper.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn't mince words in a statement issued shortly afterward.
"The abrupt firing of Secretary Esper is disturbing evidence that President Trump is intent on using his final days in office to sow chaos in our American Democracy and around the world," she said. "Continuity and stability are always important during a presidential transition; they are absolutely imperative at this moment, as this historically erratic Administration prepares for its departure.
"It is concerning that reports show that this firing was an act of retribution by the President, allegedly for Secretary Esper’s refusal to send active-duty military troops to crack down on peaceful demonstrations against police brutality. Most disturbingly, however, the timing of this dismissal raises serious questions about Trump’s planned actions for the final days of his Administration," her statement continued.
"Again and again, Trump’s recklessness endangers our national security. It is disturbing and dangerous that, at this precarious moment, our military will now be led by an official who has not been confirmed for this position by the Senate," Pelosi said.
ABC News' John Parkinson contributed to this report.
