MSNBC’s Morning Joe anchors reprimanded Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for stripping retired general and former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley’s security detail and clearance. Milley served under the first Trump administration but went on to criticize the President.
Hegseth didn’t stop at revoking the decorated army general’s security but also directed the defense department’s inspector general to examine if Milley’s military grade can be reevaluated, the Pentagon said late Tuesday, according to The Guardian.
On Wednesday, Joe Scarborough condemned the “attack” against Milley and warned that he is now “at risk of being a target of Iranian hit squads.”
Scarborough called the event a “depressing move but entirely predictable.”
Agreeing with this assessment, co-host Jonathan Lemire added that there are “legitimate threats” against the retired general both from overseas and from the Trump administration, through Milley’s own admission to his family and friends. “Donald Trump has vilified him for so long,” Lemire added.
Milley resigned from the Trump administration after he and the president clashed over numerous issues. He went on to call Trump a “fascist” and provided detailed accounts about Trump’s actions on Jan. 6. Former President Joe Biden issued a preemptive pardon to several individuals, including Milley, on Jan. 20 in a way to protect them from retaliation from Trump.
Contributor Mike Barnicle added that Milley is “an honorable man” who deserves better.
“He served honorably and in his highest moment of honor, outside of his commitment to the United States on the field of battle in Afghanistan and Iraq, his highest honor ought to be attributed to him: for the resignation letter that he wrote to Donald J. Trump, when Trump was in office from 2016 to 2020. Basically, General Milley, apologizing for succumbing momentarily to Donald Trump’s lust for ego and politics.”
“To come under attack from Pete Hegseth and the Trump administration is beyond outrageous. It’s obscene,” Barnicle added.
Read it at Mediaite