Thread by @RepSherrill

So much for a “meritocracy.”

Last night at the Pentagon, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth dismantled a core principle of American democracy: the apolitical military.

Let me explain what’s going on and why it is deeply dangerous for our country: 🧵

Secretary Hegseth announced that he is firing some of our nation’s top military leaders — including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General C.Q. Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti, and a number of three and four star Generals and Flag Officers. (2/9)

You don’t rise to our military’s highest positions without decades of leadership and commitment to serving missions across the globe. Four-star General C.Q. Brown has been serving our nation since 1984. Four-star Admiral Lisa Franchetti has been serving since 1985. Both of these individuals earned their barrier-breaking positions because they devoted their lives to taking on our nation’s toughest challenges — and they have the resumes to prove it. (3/9)

Yet, Secretary Hegseth called Admiral Franchetti a DEI hire in his book, and criticized General Brown because of his commitment to promoting diversity in our armed forces. This move isn’t about strengthening our armed forces, and it isn’t about merit. It's about Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump implementing their political agenda. (4/9)

Additionally, Trump and Hegseth fired the top Judge Advocates General, who are the military’s top lawyers. These are the individuals who interpret law for our commanders, and ensure that we’re fighting in accordance with our values. (5/9)

Normally, our military’s top leadership serves under multiple administrations — Democrats and Republicans alike. At the beginning of a presidential term, the leaders in these positions typically stay in place — some of the leaders fired yesterday even served in Trump’s first administration. (6/9)

Now, Trump and Hegseth are trying to gut the military’s leadership so they can use the armed forces to carry out their personal, political agenda. This move will threaten America’s national security, show weakness to dictators worldwide like Vladimir Putin, and give Donald Trump unchecked power to abuse our military. (7/9)

As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I joined my veteran colleagues to demand answers from Hegseth and hold him accountable for this brazen, dangerous abuse of power. (8/9)

In the United States Armed Forces, you swear an oath to the Constitution — not a person, not a political party. It’s an oath I took for the first time at age eighteen when I entered the Naval Academy, and have taken numerous times throughout my career. I will never abandon that oath, and I will always fight to protect the men and women who risk their lives to serve our country. (9/9)