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Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, attempted to deliver a “civics lesson” to U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), but his move quickly backfired, prompting what appears to be a quiet retreat.
Congresswoman Sherrill is an attorney, former federal prosecutor, and former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot. She earned her law degree from Georgetown, a master’s degree from the London School of Economics, and her bachelor’s from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.
On Saturday, Sherrill blasted President Donald Trump’s and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s firings of six of the nation’s top military officers, including top JAG lawyers — firings that have been widely condemned.
For example, President Joe Biden’s Secretary of the Air Force, Frank Kendall, called the firings, “foolish and a disgrace,” and added: “What frightens me even more is the removal of three judge advocates general, the most senior uniformed legal authorities in the Defense Department. Their removal is one more element of this administration’s attack on the rule of law, and an especially disturbing part.”
“So much for a ‘meritocracy,'” Sherrill wrote, an apparent reference to Trump’s attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), during which he vowed his administration would only hire and promote based on merit.
“Last night at the Pentagon, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth dismantled a core principle of American democracy: the apolitical military,” she wrote, remarks substantiated by experts.
“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,” Sherrill explained.
“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,” she continued.
“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,” Sherrill added. The JAG firings, some experts warn, are the ones that should be of the greatest concern to Americans.
Explaining how the military’s top brass usually are not replaced by incoming Commanders-in Chief, Sherrill warned: “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.”
She called Hegseth’s firings a “brazen, dangerous abuse of power.”
“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,” Sherrill vowed.
Miller, who was not named in Sherrill’s remarks, decided to jump in and launch an attack.
“Quick civics lesson: a core principle of American democracy is civilian control of the military,” declared Miller, a former Trump speechwriter.
Sherrill shot back.
“Gee, thanks Stephen. Here’s a civics lesson for you,” she offered.
“10 U.S.C. § 152 lays out the qualifications for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. These guidelines ensure the most experienced, capable officers (like General Brown) are protecting our national security and our country. Ignoring the guidelines and firing JAGs suggests the administration is attempting to build a military of loyalists focused less on our safety and more on loyalty to MAGA and Trump.”
“I know you haven’t served and your experience is mainly in speechwriting, so hopefully this is helpful,” she added.
Miller does not yet seem to have responded over the past 14 hours or so.
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