Trump\u2019s second attempt at naming an Army secretary fails Friday, May 5, when Mark Green withdrew amid backlash over his comments on Muslims, evolution.<\/b>
\nPresident Donald Trump\u2019s second attempt to nominate an Army secretary failed on Friday when his pick, Tennessee state Sen. Mark Green, withdrew from consideration amid increasingly fierce backlash to his controversial comments about the LGBT community, Muslims and evolution.
\u201cIt is with deep regret today I am withdrawing my nomination to be the secretary of the Army, \u201d he said in a statement. \u201cUnfortunately, due to false and misleading attacks against me, this nomination has become a distraction.\u201d
Green, a former flight surgeon who treated Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein after his capture by American troops, faced strong opposition from civil rights groups for his anti-LGBT statements and legislative record, and from Muslim-American groups, who said he had made Islamophobic comments.
Green was a stark contrast to the person he would have been replacing, President Barack Obama\u2019s appointee Eric Fanning, who was the first openly gay Army secretary.
[READ MORE: Trump\u2019s 2nd pick for Army chief draws ire of LGBT, Muslim groups]
Trump\u2019s original pick to lead the Army, New York billionaire Vincent Viola, withdrew after citing difficulty disentangling from his businesses.
If Trump had hoped for an easy confirmation, Green might not have been the best choice. A very conservative lawmaker who until recently had plans to run for governor, Green came with a long history of speeches at churches and political events documented on the internet.
Among the ones that were dug up by journalists and groups that opposed him were speeches where he said that \u201ctransgender is a disease, \u201d and asserted that looking at Victoria\u2019s Secret catalogues is \u201cone step away from God, and it\u2019s one step closer to Saddam Hussein.\u201d He also called evolution \u201ca bad argument\u201d and referred to a \u201cMuslim horde\u201d and the \u201cassault of Islam\u201d in speaking about the history of the Ottoman empire.
Green said he had been unfairly targeted for his Christian faith.
\u201cTragically, 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, \u201d he said in his statement.
[READ MORE: Ethics concerns lead second of Trump\u2019s armed services secretary nominees to withdraw]
Groups that had opposed him celebrated the withdrawal.
\u201cMark Green\u2019s dangerous views and hateful comments are disqualifying for any public servant, let alone someone wishing to serve as secretary of the Army, \u201d said Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign. \u201cHis nomination was a clear indication of Donald Trump\u2019s lack of judgment and failure to be a president for all Americans.\u201d
Green\u2019s nomination drew immediate backlash from Democrats, and even some Republicans. His support was lukewarm at best, and few in Washington showed an appetite to defend his controversial comments.
\u201cHe was the wrong choice to serve as secretary, and should not have been nominated in the first place, \u201d said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Three months into Trump\u2019s presidency, in which he promised to prioritize the military, his Defense Department still doesn\u2019 t have a confirmed service secretary. His choice to lead the U. S. Navy, Philip Bilden, also dropped out, citing difficulties meeting ethics requirements. The Trump administration has yet to nominate a replacement. The president\u2019s choice to lead the Air Force, former New Mexico Rep. Heather Wilson, is slated for a confirmation vote in the Senate next week.
Green, a West Point graduate who wrote a book about the night he spent with Saddam Hussein after U. S. troops captured the Iraqi dictator, was elected to the Tennessee state Senate in 2012.<\/p>\n

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