Trump And Hegseth Are Politicizing The Military, Sen. Jack Reed Says

The ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee was critical Sunday of President Donald Trump's motives for his firing of top Defense officials.

Speaking Sunday on ABC's "This Week," Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were attempting "to politicize the Department of Defense" by firing top military leaders on Friday night, including Chair of the Joint Chiefs Gen. C.Q. Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti and Air Force Vice Chief Gen. James Slife.

The senator added: "It's the beginning of a very, very serious degradation of the military and politicization of the military."

Reed said of these military leaders, who had been confirmed by the Senate for what were supposed to be fixed terms in office: "These men and women were superb professionals. They were committed to their oath to defend the Constitution of the United States."

Reed also expressed concern over the ouster of the judge advocates general of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

"If you're going to break the law, the first thing you do is you get rid of the lawyers," he said.

Hegseth, speaking Sunday on "Fox News Sunday," defended Friday's firings: "There is civilian control of the military. Nothing about this is unprecedented."

He added: "The president deserves to pick his key national security and military advisory team."

While those on the Joint Chiefs serve at the pleasure of the president, appointees traditionally serve their full term even if a new president takes office. Among the chairs of the Joint Chiefs who were appointed by a president of one party and continued under the president of another party were such notables as Gen. Omar Bradley, Gen. Earle Wheeler, Gen. Colin Powell, Adm. Michael Mullen, and, most recently, Gen. Mark Milley.

Speaking to host Martha Raddatz, Reed was also sharply critical of Trump's recent moves that seemed to favor Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russia-Ukraine war: "This is not a statesman or a diplomat. This is just someone who admires Putin."

He said that it would be more effective to pressure Putin than to praise him.

"What we have to do is keep the pressure on, and then go into negotiations," Reed said, "negotiations that will include the Ukrainians, not exclude them. And then with this pressure, hopefully, Putin will decide that he the cost is too great to continue this effort."