President Trump announced Sunday that Defense Secretary James Mattis, who resigned in protest last week, would leave his job on Jan. 1, two months before…
President Trump announced Sunday that Defense Secretary James Mattis, who resigned in protest last week, would leave his job on Jan. 1, two months before his planned departure.
Trump said in a tweet that Mattis’s deputy, Patrick Shanahan, will serve as acting Pentagon chief.
“Patrick has a long list of accomplishments while serving as Deputy, & previously Boeing,” Trump wrote. “He will be great!”
The abrupt decision comes as Trump’s anger has boiled over at Mattis’s resignation letter, which was widely seen as a rebuke of the president’s foreign policy and received widespread coverage on cable news.
Trump initially praised Mattis last Thursday after announcing his departure, tweeting that the retired Marine Corps general would be exiting “with distinction” and was a “great help” in his efforts to strengthen the U.
