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• The Pentagon is apparently attempting to dissolve "Stars and Stripes," a popular military newspaper that has been published using taxpayer dollars since the Civil War. The House is working to counteract the memo and associated budgetary change that would shutter the paper, but the Senate has not yet taken action. September, 2020. [USA Today]
• The president reportedly called John McCain and George H. W. Bush "losers" when addressing his staff due to McCain being a POW and Bush getting shot down during WWII. Additionally, sources claim he was absent from a ceremony in a French military cemetery in 2018 because "he did not believe it important to honor American war dead," and separately referred to 1800 Marine war casualties as "suckers" for getting killed. Reported September, 2020. [The Atlantic]
• After staffing the VA with campaign doners, VA officials removed the 48-hour review of changes to veterans' claims which veterans' groups and 42 Attorneys General argue is critical to ensuring accuracy of the claims process. July, 2020. [Stripes]
• Trump promised to veto Defense Spending Bill, suspending military pay, if Congress introduces amendment to change names of military bases. The amendment passed both houses of Congress intact. July, 2020. [Reuters]
• Intelligence was incorporated into the PDB around March 2020 that Russia paid bounties to kill American troops. Since then, Trump has petitioned world leaders to bring Russia back into the G8, and has dismissed the intelligence reports as non-credible. June, 2020. [Reuters]
• The White House attempted to end National Guard deployments one day before they could claim benefits. May, 2020. [Politico] The deployments were extended after the story broke, but it's unclear if it was because of the story, since some of those deployments were later extended again. [The Hill]
• The Trump adminstration seized 5 million masks intended for VA hospitals. April, 2020. [Huffpost] Jared Kushner allegedly created a middleman between government agencies and the National Stockpile by distributing equipment to private companies for a fee, and contacting those companies to sell the equipment to various agencies, states, and localities. [Politico]
• Brett Crozier, the captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, was relieved of command by the acting Secretary of the Navy after warning superiors that a COVID19 outbreak would likely sideline the aircraft carrier. The virus subsequently spread amongst the crew. March, 2020. [USNI Timeline] Historically, COs have been relieved of command by the Commodore of their squadron, the Chief of Naval Personnel, or the Chief of Naval Operations. This relief was conducted by the Secretary, who is appointed by the President, meaning it is highly likely that the President had a hand in making the decision. [Business Insider]
• The Trump adminstration suddenly removed 9,500 servicemembers from Germany, purportedly without consulting the German Foreign Ministry or NATO. March, 2020 [Reuters]
• After Iran's retaliatory strike, 109 US troops suffered brain injuries. Trump dismissed these as "headaches." February, 2020. [Reuters]
• Trump has pardoned multiple war criminals, despite recommendations from military officials. He also intervened often on the Eddie Gallagher case, getting him removed from solitary confinement, stopping an internal community review that would have stripped Gallagher of his warfare device, demanding on Twitter that he not lose rank, and firing then SecNav Richard Spencer when Spencer pushed back. November, 2019. [AP Gallagher Timeline] [Spencer WashPo OpEd] [Politico]
• Trump removed Lt. Col. Vindman and his brother from their positions in the White House when Vindman agreed to testify as part of the Ukraine debacle. Trump also criticized Vindman for asserting his rank and wearing his uniform while giving testimony. Vindman's promotion to O-6 was reportedly contested by the President, and Vindman opted to retire shortly thereafter. November, 2019, June, 2020. [Reuters] [Military Times]
• Trump abruptly withdrew support from America's allies in Syria after a phone call with Turkey's president. October, 2019. [Reuters]
• The Trump administration sent American troops to defend the oil assets of the country that perpetrated 9/11. September, 2019. [Reuters]
• Trump tweeted a photo of an Iranian launch site from a potentially classified source. August, 2019. [NPR]
• Trump illegally diverted approved funding for schools on military bases, military housing, and daycare facilities to help pay for the border wall. August, 2019. [NPR $3.6B, 2019] [NPR, $3.8B, 2020]
• Trump appointed three of his Mar-a-Lago pals to run the VA. They were later accused of "meddling" by other VA staff. August, 2019. [Huffpost]
• Veterans graves may be displaced due to border wall construction. August, 2019. [Video from local NBC affiliate]
• Trump ordered the Navy rescind medals given to Eddie Gallagher's prosecution team. July, 2019. [Reuters]
• Trump sent troops to the border to assist with logistics, provide security, and paint the fence for a better "aesthetic appearance." June, 2019. [Military Times]
• Trump made his 2nd wife, Marla Maples, sign a prenup that would have cut off all child support if Tiffany joined the military, got a full time job, or joined the Peace Corps. Reported June, 2019. [Vanity Fair]
• Trump turned away US servicemembers from his Memorial Day speech because they were from the destroyer USS John S. McCain. May, 2019. [Business Insider]
• White House staffers reportedly discussed moving or covering the USS John McCain during the president's visit to Japan. A later report explains that the ship's name was covered by a tarp for topside preservation, but the tarp was removed while the president was still in Japan. May, 2019. [Navy Times]
• The Trump adminstration purged 200,000 healthcare applications submitted to the VA. Reported May, 2019. [Military.com Blog]
