The second Army secretary nominee of the Trump administration withdrew his name from consideration on Friday as opposition begins amounts against previous comments he expressed about evolution. Islam and gender issues.
Mark E. Green, the tried and true Republican Tennessee Sen. and Iraq War veteran, stated that there cannot be any distractions in the over salts of the military, blaming “false and misleading attacks against him” when he spoke to the media. There was no immediate reaction from the Pentagon or White House when he made this announcement, but it was officially delivered hours after a representative for the Defense Department declined to confirm or deny whether Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was still extending his support for him for the position.
An official who has an internal understanding of the Pentagon chief’s thoughts proclaimed on Friday night that the details that emerged about Green over the past several days had troubled him. Green’s withdrawal was influenced by the news reports, stated by the official who issued the statements under the condition of anonymity because of the issues sensitive nature. The official further explained that there is no news from the Pentagon inspector to be released in a decision, as they have left it up to Green to make a disclosure of his decision.
Green stepped down after calls came in for a month, the men in the Trump administration to select another candidate. Lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender advocacy groups in meanie went into action, with a full-fledged effort on Capitol Hill aimed at blocking his nomination shortly after its April 7 announcement, claiming that his aunt and his sick history towards them was to be interpreted as he is not an acceptable candidate for the position.
A Physician who served alongside Army Special Operations Troops, Green’s frustration was clearly expressed regarding the effort that was put into last month’s Facebook posts and repeated the expression in his statement on Friday again.
“Tragically, my life of public service and my Christian beliefs have been mischaracterized and attacked by a few on the other side of the aisle for political gain,” Green said. “While these false attacks have no bearing on the needs of the Army or my qualifications to serve, I believe it is critical to give the President the ability to move forward with his vision to restore our military to its rightful place in the world.”
Wrapped in the comments that attracted the concern from constituents are those made by Green last fall, stating that if a poll of psychiatrists were conducted, they would declare, “transgender is a disease.” Adding to that, he stated that even though the majority of millennials have accepted transgender people, he desired to become the “light” that set straight the record.
“If you really want to bring this back to who’s at fault, I mean we’ve got to look a little bit inwardly,” he said. “I mean, we’ve tolerated immorality and we’re not reflecting light.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations joined in the opposition of Green’s nomination, citing his Chattanooga Tea Party appearance last fall in which Green proclaimed that “we will not tolerate” teaching the “pillars of Islam” in textbooks. While attending the same event, Green gave a response to a gentleman who expresses concern about an armed insurrection by individuals who don’t belong here, like Muslims in the United States” by saying, he had asked a “great question.”
The withdrawal of Greens nomination highlights the most recent chapter in the ongoing turmoil of the White House, as it attempts to fill senior civilian positions that are stationed at the Pentagon. Green became the selected candidate after Vincent Viola, Pres. Trump’s original Army secretary nominee, withdrew his name from consideration back in February. A former army officer who later became a Wall Street billionaire, Viola, cited the difficulties of passing through the conflict of interest rules established by the Pentagon.
Philip M. Bilden, another nominee chosen for the Navy secretary position, also withdrew his name from consideration in February, after facing resistance similar to Viola’s there have not been replacements named. A secretary is on the brink of being named for the Air Force, with a former Air Force officer and Congresswoman, Heather A. Wilson, carrying the expectations of receiving a confirmation vote within a week.
This week, several U.S. senators express their opposition to Green being appointed as Army secretary, including Sens. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Charles E. Schumer (D.-N.Y.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.).
Schumer stated that Green’s announcement to withdraw is great news for all Americans, “especially those who were personally vilified by his disparaging comments toward the LGBTQ community, the Muslim community, the Latino community and more.” The senator gave credit to advocacy groups who influenced Green to withdraw and declared that he hopes Trump will choose someone who has the ability to represent every person serving in the Army.
Republicans have not appeared to openly oppose the nomination of Green, but some hinted that it was their wish to hear more details concerning his past views. Chairperson of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), granted an interview to USA Today this week, stating that some of the comments of Greens are “very concerning” and that he would have to explain himself.
“There’s a lot of controversy concerning his nomination,” McCain stated in his interview with USA Today. “We are getting some questions from both Republicans and Democrats on the Armed Services Committee. I think there are some issues that clearly need to be cleared up.”
It was almost as if you hear a sigh of relief on Friday coming from the absent groups that had been opposed to the nomination of Green.
President of the Human Rights Campaign, Chad Griffin, made a statement proclaiming that Green’s “dangerous views and hateful comments are disqualifying for any public servant, let alone someone wishing to serve as secretary of the Army.” The nomination, Griffin added, displayed a “lack of judgment” by Trump and a “failure to be a president for all Americans.”