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Biden Admin Shocker: Defense Secretary Hospitalized Days Ago, Press Alarmed By Late Notice

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The Biden administration waited until Friday to announce that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized on Monday, a delay of several days that alarmed the Pentagon press corps.

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided a brief update on Austin in a statement that was released by the Department of Defense (DoD) at around 5 p.m., or the close of business, right as the weekend was getting underway for many in the country.

“On the evening of January 1, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for complications following a recent elective medical procedure,” Ryder said.

“He is recovering well and is expecting to resume his full duties today. At all times, the Deputy Secretary of Defense was prepared to act for and exercise the powers of the Secretary, if required,” he added.

Members of the media, some with decades of experience covering the Pentagon, voiced shock and concern in response to the announcement that some billed as a “Friday night news dump.” The Pentagon held a press briefing as recently as Thursday, and made no mention of Austin’s health scare. (Read more from “Biden Admin Shocker: Defense Secretary Hospitalized Days Ago, Press Alarmed By Late Notice” HERE)

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Triple-Vaccinated Secretary of Defense Tests Positive for COVID

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The U.S. secretary of defense tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday morning, according to a statement released by the Department of Defense. Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said he began experiencing mild symptoms while on holiday leave at home.

(Read more from “Triple-Vaccinated Secretary of Defense Tests Positive for COVID” HERE)

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President Trump Fires Mark Esper

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President Donald Trump announced Monday that he has fired Secretary Of Defense Mark Esper and named his replacement.

In two tweets, Trump said that he fired Esper and that Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Christopher Miller will become the Acting Secretary of Defense. . .

Esper had prepared a resignation letter, three current defense officials reportedly told NBC News on Thursday. Trump claimed Monday that he has fired Esper. (Read more from “President Trump Fires Mark Esper” HERE)

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Report: Defense Secretary Mark Esper Prepared Letter of Resignation

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President Trump’s defense secretary has reportedly prepared a resignation letter.

Mark Esper, a former Army officer who has been secretary since July 2019, wrote the letter under the impression that he could be forced out of his Cabinet position after the election, three defense officials told NBC News.

This follows an Axios report last month that said Esper, along with FBI Director Chris Wray and CIA Director Gina Haspel, are among those Trump expects to replace if he wins reelection.

At the time, the White House said the president had not made any Cabinet decisions. “We have no personnel announcements at this time, nor would it be appropriate to speculate about changes after the election or in a second term,” White House spokesman Judd Deere told the Washington Examiner. (Read more from “Report: Defense Secretary Mark Esper Prepared Letter of Resignation” HERE)

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Hagel to Take Pay Cut in Solidarity with DoD Furloughed Workers

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Photo Credit: Secretary of Defense

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will take the same pay cut as the 750,000 civilian Pentagon employees slated for furloughs in the coming months.

Hagel and Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter plan to voluntarily hand over 14 days of pay back to the Treasury Department, as a sign of solidarity with the Pentagon employees who are being forced to take the same cut via furloughs.

Both Hagel and Carter are exempt from the furlough plan, since both officials are Senate-confirmed White House appointees, Defense Department (DOD) press secretary George Little told reporters on Tuesday.

“My understanding is … that there is a legal way to actually write a check, if you will, back to the U.S. Treasury,” Little said, regarding how both senior DOD officials would be able to adapt their pay scales to furlough levels.

Carter informed Congress he would be willing to take a pay cut, commiserate with proposed furloughs, during testimony on the department’s fiscal situation under sequestration earlier this year.

Read more from this story HERE.

‘Hagel Has Promoted Agenda Of The Enemy’

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Photo Credit: WNDA former Nobel Peace Prize nominee warns that Senate confirmation of Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense would send a message to Iran of weakened U.S. resolve, making it less likely America’s military might would in any way deter Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“Going back to 2001, Hagel has been opposed to U.S. sanctions on Iran and in favor of recognizing the Islamic Republic in order to normalize trade relationships,” journalist and activist Ken Timmerman told WND. “Hagel has virtually made his position on Iran identical to the policies of the Iranian government, including a demand the U.S. enter direct negotiations with Iran ‘without preconditions’ and opposing the United States’ use of military force to block Iran’s nuclear weapons development program.”

Timmerman began in the Foundation for Democracy in Iran in 1995 as part of his ongoing support for freedom in the Islamic country and in 2006 was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Sweden’s former Deputy Prime Minister Per Ahlmark for playing a major role in exposing Iran’s plans to develop nuclear weapons.

“If Hagel is confirmed as secretary of defense,” Timmerman argued, “we will have someone in charge of the U.S. military who has promoted the agenda of the Islamic Republic of Iran, an enemy of the United States since 1979, when Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran to begin the Iranian revolution.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Graham Asks Hagel If He Said Israel Risks Becoming Apartheid State

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Photo Credit: APSen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) sent a letter to secretary of defense nominee Chuck Hagel Wednesday asking whether he made disparaging comments about Israel during a speech at Rutgers law school on April 9, 2010.

The Washington Free Beacon on Tuesday reported on a contemporaneous account of the 2010 speech written by former Rutgers law student Kenneth Wagner, who attended the event.

“I want to call your attention to and request a response to a story in the Washington Free Beacon on February 19th, which includes a contemporaneous account from an attendee at your 2010 Rutgers University lecture,” Graham wrote in the letter. “Senator Hagel, did you say this? Have you said anything similar? Does this contemporaneous email reflect your views?”

According to Wagner’s notes, which he emailed to a contact at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) during the speech, Hagel said Israel was at risk of becoming an apartheid state, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was radical, that the Jewish state has violated UN resolutions and that Hamas should be included in any Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiation.

Hagel reportedly made the comments during the post-speech question-and-answer session. A spokesperson for Hagel did not respond to a request for comment as of press time.

Read more from this story HERE.

Chuck Hagel Camp: He’s Not Dropping Out

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Photo Credit: John ShinkleChuck Hagel’s camp pushed back forcefully Friday against the notion that he might remove himself from consideration to be secretary of Defense.

“There is absolutely no truth to the notion that Sen. Hagel might consider withdrawing,” a Hagel aide told POLITICO. “He’s continuing his prep work and getting up to speed on the issues he will deal with as secretary of Defense.”

Online commentators began to speculate that Hagel might bow out, as more than a week had passed since his widely panned confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee with no word about when its members might take a vote.

Author Thomas Ricks floated the idea in a post on his blog Friday, arguing that the odds of a withdrawal were 50-50 and would increase two percent for every business day the Senate Armed Services Committee doesn’t schedule a vote. The conservative Weekly Standard — run by Hagel arch-nemesis Bill Kristol — immediately picked up that post.

But among politicians and operatives supportive of Hagel, there is little evidence of a coming withdrawal — and more than a little pique at Republicans for delaying the confirmation process. They insist he should surrender still more information about his income, but Democrats have cried foul.

Read more from this story HERE.

Panetta: Sequestration Would Make U.S. ‘Second-Rate Power’

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Photo Credit: U.S. Army AfricaSecretary of Defense Leon Panetta used a hearing on the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack on Benghazi to plead with Congress for a budget agreement that would prevent sequestration cuts to the Department of Defense.

During his testimony before the Senate Armed Forces Committee on Thursday, Panetta said his greatest concern as defense secretary is the fiscal uncertainty hanging over Washington.

“I cannot imagine that people would stand by and deliberately hurt this country, in terms of our national defense, by letting this happen,” he said.

Ultimately, sequestration cuts would erode the military’s capabilities and threaten its world standing, Panetta asserted.

Read more from this story HERE.

Sen. Graham Blasts Likely Hagel Selection as ‘In-Your-Face Nomination’ from Obama

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photo credit: John Orrell

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday expressed dismay at reports President Obama would tap former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) for Secretary of Defense, calling it an “in your face” selection.

“I like Chuck Hagel. He served with distinction in Vietnam as an enlisted man — two Purple Hearts. But quite frankly Chuck Hagel is out of the mainstream of thinking on most issues regarding foreign policy,” said Graham in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“He has long severed his ties with the Republican party. This is an in your face nomination of the president to all of us who are supportive of Israel,” he added. “I don’t know what his management experience is in regards to the Pentagon or global if anyway, so I think it’s an extremely controversial choice.”

Reports Sunday said that Obama had decided to name Hagel to replace current Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta as early as Monday.

The selection of Hagel is likely to set off a fierce confirmation battle with many conservative lawmakers already signaling opposition to their former colleague.

Read more from this story HERE.