ATLANTA, GA- Remember when CNN was “the worldwide leader in news?” Yeah, good times.
CNN, which is usually beaten in the ratings by Golden Girls reruns, the Food Network, Comedy Central, Hallmark Mysteries, and The History Channel, found the latest reason to get its collective panties in a bunch Friday night after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump purged the Pentagon of several high-ranking officials.
In what CNN called an “unprecedented” purge, the president fired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, followed moments later by Hegseth terminating Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the chief of the Navy, and Gen. James Silfe, vice chief of the United States Air Force.
CNN made sure they referred to Brown as “the second black man to serve as America’s most senior general” and Franchetti as “the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff” because that is what CNN does…try to stir up controversy where none exists.
President Trump referred to Brown as “a fine gentleman” and an “outstanding leader” while signaling that Hegseth would be following up with other announcements, adding, “I have also directed Secretary Hegseth to solicit nominations for five additional high-level positions, which will be announced soon,” in a post on Truth Social.
Hegseth praised Caine’s elevation to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, according to Military Times:
“General Caine embodies the warfighter ethos and is exactly the leader we need to meet the moment,” Hegseth said. “I look forward to working with him.”
Addressing Franchetti and Slife, Heseth said both “have had distinguished careers. “We thank them for their service and dedication to our country.”
CNN believes the terminations stem from the president’s promise to reverse the Biden administration’s focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) instead of qualifications. However, neither Trump nor Hegseth’s statements indicated that this was the reason for the change in direction.
Friday night, Hegseth addressed the terminations, saying, “Under President Trump, we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting, and winning wars.”
Despite occurring on what is typically a slow news day in Washington, the firings had been anticipated for weeks, according to CNN, at least around the Pentagon. However, a formal list was recently released to some Republican lawmakers, indicating a more urgent move to replace top military leaders.
The president has long complained about the move toward “wokeness” in the military, where under the Biden administration, events such as drag shows were prevalent on US military bases. The military was also criticized for its focus on pushing LGBTQ ideology. It was particularly slammed for an Army ad a few years back, which focused on the daughter of a lesbian couple who joined the Army.
A Defense Department official said that Hegseth notified Brown of his termination on Friday.
Brown was replaced by Air Force Lt. Gen. John Dan “Raizin” Cane, who is coming out of retirement and, according to an Air Force official, is not a four-star general. Federal law requires presidents to pick top military officers from among combatant commands or chiefs of military services, all 4-star positions. However, it also allows the president to waive the requirement if “such action is necessary in the national interest.” Trump called Caine a “warfighter” who was “instrumental in the complete annihilation of the ISIS caliphate.”
Aside from the three top officials, Hegseth also announced that he would be “requesting nominations” for Judge Advocates General (JAGs) for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
The replacement of the JAGs has raised some concerns. They are the military’s top lawyers, who administer the military code of justice, including prosecuting defendants and US service members in court.
Don Christensen, a retired military judge who once served as the Air Force’s chief prosecutor, called the move “extremely concerning.”
“They serve as a conscience of the military and a moral guide as to what’s right and wrong,” and the move, he said, seems to indicate that the administration “wants more compliant people in those positions.”
CNN made sure to mention Hegseth's reference to some JAGs as "jagoffs" in a book he wrote. During his confirmation hearings, Hegseth was asked what a "jagoff" was by Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse.
"It would be a JAG Officer who puts his or her own priorities in front of the warfighters--their promotions, their medals, in front of having the backs of those who are making the tough calls on the front line," Hegseth replied.
The president has long been a fan of Caine, praising him for years.
“At CPAC in 2019, Trump said he met Caine during a visit to Iraq, where he was serving as the deputy command for US Special Operations in the Middle East and Operation Inherent Resolve, the campaign to defeat ISIS.
At the time, the president said Caine came from “central casting” and could have ISIS “totally finished in one week, whereby Caine replied, “They won’t know what the hell hit them, sir.”
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