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Mattis’ Call to End ‘America First’ Prompts Swift Backlash

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President Donald Trump’s first former Defense Secretary, James Mattis, prompted a swift backlash from conservatives after he penned an article that called for eliminating “America First” from the nation’s national security strategy — a direct attack on his former boss’s world view. . .

Trump responded in a tweet Tuesday morning: “That says it all about Mattis. Obama fired him. I should have fired him sooner. Did best work after he was gone. World’s most overrated general!”

(Read more from “Mattis’ Call to End ‘America First’ Prompts Swift Backlash” HERE)

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Mattis: Joe Biden Must Eliminate ‘America First’ From U.S. Foreign Policy

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Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis declared in an article in Foreign Affairs on Monday that the “America First” foreign policy had damaged national security, and called on Joe Biden to “eliminate ‘America first’” from U.S. strategy. . .

In his new article, however, Mattis says the opposite, calling for the “end of America First”:

The United States today is undermining the foundations of an international order manifestly advantageous to U.S. interests, reflecting a basic ignorance of the extent to which both robust alliances and international institutions provide vital strategic depth. In practice, “America first” has meant “America alone.” That has damaged the country’s ability to address problems before they reach U.S. territory and has thus compounded the danger emergent threats pose.

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In January, when President Joe Biden and his national security team begin to reevaluate U.S. foreign policy, we hope they will quickly revise the national security strategy to eliminate “America first” from its contents, restoring in its place the commitment to cooperative security that has served the United States so well for decades. The best strategy for ensuring safety and prosperity is to buttress American military strength with enhanced civilian tools and a restored network of solid alliances—both necessary to achieving defense in depth. The pandemic should serve as a reminder of what grief ensues when we wait for problems to come to us.

(Read more from “Mattis: Joe Biden Must Eliminate ‘America First’ From U.S. Foreign Policy” HERE)

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Mattis Says a Marine Hacked His Email to Impress a Woman

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Jim Mattis, the former Defense Secretary for the Trump administration, said that his email was hacked by a young marine trying to impress a girl, and his “punishment” was a surprising life lesson.

Mattis was speaking to the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce in southeast Washington state about leadership when he told the story.

“It’s like all organizations in the world, the leadership of the Marine Corps gets the behavior they reward,” he explained. . .

“He was young enough to make a mistake like that, which would have been an ethical mistake up above,” he said.

“He got punished by being assigned to my personal staff,” Mattis concluded, “so I could keep an eye on the lad.”

(Read more from “Jim Mattis Says a Marine Hacked His Email to Impress a Woman” HERE)

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WATCH: Gen. Mattis WARNS ISIS ‘Will Resurge’

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On Sunday, ABC’s “This Week” played a Saturday-taped interview with former Secretary of Defense General James Mattis.

During the interview, host Chuck Todd asked Mattis about the ongoing situation with Turkey and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Mattis asserted that “if we don’t keep the pressure on,” a reemergence of ISIS is “a given.”

MATTIS: Well, what we see is the continued reliance that we have on allies. The fight against ISIS was fought largely by the Syrian Democratic Forces. We have lost, during several years of fighting in Syria, for example, less than a dozen troops, each one a tragedy, but the Syrian Democratic Forces, primarily the Kurds, have lost well over 11,000 killed, over 23,000 wounded. So, you see how we are fighting this enemy, doing it in a way by, with, and through allies that spreads the load, so it’s not just the American people, the American taxpayer, the American troops carrying the full load.

TODD: Do you feel as if, are we still doing this fight now? Or have we just pulled back, and it’s now up to the Kurds on their own?

MATTIS: Well, it’s in a situation of disarray right now. Obviously, the Kurds are adapting to the Turkish attacks. And we’ll have to see if they’re able to maintain the fight against ISIS. It’s going to have an impact. The question is, how much?

(Read more from “WATCH: Gen. Mattis Says ISIS ‘Will Resurge’” HERE)

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WATCH: Fox News Host Accuses James Mattis of ‘Selling out America’ for Getting Job with D.C. Firm

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Fox News host Steve Hilton went after former Defense Secretary James Mattis for getting a job with an advisory firm founded by a former Bill Clinton official, accusing Mattis of “selling out America.”

Hilton noted on The Next Revolution Sunday night that Mattis was joining The Cohen Group, which describes itself as a global business advisory group that provides “practical assistance in business development, market entry, regulatory affairs and deal sourcing.” . . .

“General Mattis is now taking his years of taxpayer-funded government service to a firm that boasts about shipping defense manufacturing jobs overseas, selling American defense companies to the French and German and lobbying state and local government in this country to use your tax dollars not to buy American but to buy Indian,” Hilton said.

“What the hell is Mattis doing? Going from defending America to selling out America,” he said. . .

Hilton then went on to scold Mattis again, saying “it’s shameful for him to have anything to do with this swampy firm that shows no loyalty to the country that put it where it is.” (Read more from “Fox News Host Accuses James Mattis of ‘Selling out America’ for Getting Job with D.C. Firm” HERE)

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BOMBSHELL: Mattis Says Obama Refused to Respond to Iran’s ‘Act of War’ Because of Nuclear Deal

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In a new book, former Defense Secretary James Mattis takes the Obama administration to task for its weak response to the growing threat of the Iranian regime. One bombshell included in the book is the Obama administration’s tepid response to what Mattis referred to as an “act of war” by Iran – the planned bombing of a café in Washington, D.C.

The Washington Examiner reported on Mattis’ book, where he describes how during his time as the leader of U.S. Central Command (where he served between 2010 and 2013) he repeatedly warned the Obama administration about Iran and Sunni Islamist terrorists, though he felt Iran posed the “more deadly of the two threats.”

Mattis claims in his book, Call Sign Chaos: Learning To Lead, that Obama fired him because of these warnings, and that the administration didn’t even tell him about the Iranian plot to bomb the café. Mattis was informed of the plot by a duty officer in Tampa, Florida, who told him then-Attorney General Eric Holder and then-FBI Director Robert Mueller (yes, that Robert Mueller) held a press conference announcing the arrest of two Iranians who had planned the attack on Café Milano. The Examiner describes the café as “a high-end restaurant in Washington that was a favorite of the rich and famous, including Saudi Arabia’s ambassador, Adel al-Jubeir.”

“Attorney General Eric Holder said the bombing plot was ‘directed and approved by elements of the Iranian government and, specifically, senior members of the Qods Force.’ The Qods were the Special Operations Force of the Revolutionary Guards, reporting to the top of the Iranian government,” Mattis writes in his book. . .

“In my military judgment, America had undertaken a poorly calculated, long-shot gamble. At the same time, the administration was lecturing our Arab friends that they had to accommodate Iran as if it were a moderate neighbor in the region and not an enemy committed to their destruction,” Mattis writes. “As long as its leaders consider Iran less a nation-state than a revolutionary cause, Iran will remain a terrorist threat potentially more dangerous than Al Qaeda or ISIS.” (Read more from “Bombshell: Mattis Says Obama Refused to Respond to Iran’s ‘Act of War’ Because of Nuclear Deal” HERE)

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WATCH: Mattis Gives His Final Christmas Message to the Troops

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On Monday, the Department of Defense released Secretary of Defense James Mattis’ holiday message to the service members who are both at home and overseas.

“Since Washington crossed the Delaware at Christmas 1776, American troops have missed holidays at home to defend our experiment and democracy. To all you lads and lasses holding the line in 2018 on land, at sea, or in the air, thanks for keeping the faith. Merry Christmas and may God hold you safe,” Mattis stated.

In his letter of resignation, Mattis said he would leave the Department of Defense at the end of February 2019 to give time for a permanent replacement to be chosen and to attend one last NATO meeting in February. (Read more from “WATCH: Mattis Gives His Final Christmas Message to the Troops” HERE)

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Trump Announces Mattis’ Acting Replacement Starting Next Year

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President Donald Trump announced on Sunday Secretary of Defense James Mattis would be replaced by Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan as Acting Secretary of Defense on January 1, 2019.

In his letter of resignation, Mattis said he would stay on as chief of the Department of Defense until the end of February to ensure there would be enough time for a replacement to be confirmed and to help oversee the transition.

“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 wrote. “The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department’s interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February.”

(Read more from “Trump Announces Mattis’ Acting Replacement Starting Next Year” HERE)

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James Mattis Hit the Trump Administration With Unexpected News But Trump Hits Back

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By Townhall. President Trump announced Thursday afternoon Secretary of Defense James Mattis will be leaving his position at the beginning of next year.

The move comes less than 24-hours after President Trump announced U.S. troops will be leaving Syria, a decision Mattis, along with a number of other military leaders, strongly disagrees with.

(Read more from “James Mattis Just Hit the Trump Administration With Unexpected News” HERE)

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In Characteristic Fashion, Trump Hits Back After Mattis’ Resignation

By Quint Forgey. President Donald Trump claimed Saturday he gave outgoing Defense Secretary James Mattis “a second chance” after the retired Marine general was ousted from military leadership under the Obama administration.

“When President Obama ingloriously fired Jim Mattis, I gave him a second chance. Some thought I shouldn’t, I thought I should,” Trump tweeted Saturday evening.

Former President Barack Obama fired Mattis as head of U.S. Central Command in 2013 in large part because of Mattis’ increasingly hawkish posture toward Iran.

. . .Trump wrote that he made sure Mattis was better equipped and more empowered in his role leading the Pentagon since January 2017.

“Interesting relationship-but I also gave all of the resources that he never really had. Allies are very important-but not when they take advantage of U.S.,” Trump tweeted. (Read more about how Trump reacted to Mattis’ unexpected news HERE)
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US Defense Secretary James Mattis left a stark message for his successor in his resignation letter: Wake up and smell the threat

By Business Insider. US Defense Secretary James Mattis announced his resignation from the Trump administration on Thursday, setting in motion the end of what has been a tumultuous tenure working with President Donald Trump.

In his resignation letter, Mattis told Trump, without saying his name, that the president has a “right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned” with his own. . .

But it was the outgoing defense secretary’s warning about the shifting nature of great-power relations he hopes his successor will study closely. . .

“I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly at odds with our own,” Mattis wrote in his resignation letter.

“It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model — gaining veto authority over other nations’ economic, diplomatic and security decisions — to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbours, America and our allies.” (Read more from “US Defense Secretary James Mattis left a stark message for his successor in his resignation letter: Wake up and smell the threat” HERE)

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Mattis Explains Which Troops Will Be Staying at the Border and What They’ll Be Doing

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After officially signing the order to extend the deployment of active-duty troops on the U.S.-Mexico border, Secretary of Defense James Mattis explained what they will be doing to the end of January.

“So we get missions in and I accept certain missions because they’re appropriate for us,” Mattis told reporters while on a trip to Canada. “The — in Texas, basically the engineering tasks are complete. In Arizona, they’re pretty much complete. I’ll probably leave a few engineers in each place who would actually move — if we ever had to close the ports of entry; the commissioner of border patrol says close this as you saw it done once for six hours in California.” . . .

“So that will leave a modicum of engineers out there. You don’t need many to move the last Jersey barriers or barbed wire barricades into position,” he said. “There are some MPs who are still there. Those MPs, generally in Texas, Arizona, those places, are there as oversight of the U.S. army engineers or of the — where the helicopters are stationed just — they’re basically guards, that sort of thing. Side arms they don’t —they only carry rifles.”

Mattis pointed out those that will be sent home are not the National Guardsmen who were sent to the border beforehand since they are under different orders. (Read more from “Mattis Explains Which Troops Will Be Staying at the Border and What They’ll Be Doing” HERE)

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