‘My Troops Will Be on the street…I’ll See Them Off but I Won’t Be Able to Welcome Them Back’
The head of the District Of Columbia’s National Guard, Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz, has been ordered to tender his resignation effective 12:01 PM on Inauguration Day. Because D.C. is not a state the president is responsible for naming the officer who heads the district’s national guard unit. Talking Points Memo reports “Donald Trump has demanded” Schwartz step down at that time.
What is extraordinarily odd is Maj. Schwartz, whose official title is Commanding General of the Militia of the District of Columbia National Guard, Washington, District of Columbia, and has been in that post since June of 2008, will literally be in the middle of protecting some of the tens or hundreds of thousands of people expected on the streets of Washington, D.C. During the inauguration and subsequent parade, when he will have to step down and turn his command over to someone appointed by Donald Trump.
Schwartz, who began his military career in 1979, told The Washington Post, the “timing is extremely unusual.”
“My troops will be on the street,†Schwartz, 65, said. “I’ll see them off but I won’t be able to welcome them back to the armory.†He said that he would “never plan to leave a mission in the middle of a battle.â€
Trump and his transition team appear to have blindly ordered most if not all presidential political appointees to resign immediately upon his swearing in, or have not asked them to stay until they are replaced. It is custom that presidential appointees tender their resignations effective January 20, when a new president is sworn in, but usually many are asked to stay in their positions until they are replaced – especially those with highly sensitive jobs.
For example, the Trump transition team did not ask the two civilian heads of a little-known agency that is responsible for ensuring America’s nuclear arms are secure, to stay in their posts. Those jobs will be unfilled the moment Trump is sworn in.
There appears to be a strong intention to ensure that no Obama appointees remain in place whatsoever. Overseas ambassadors often are either asked to stay or ask to stay until their children finish the school year. All those requests were denied outright by the Trump team, with no consideration for family needs.
Schwartz says he was not told why he was ordered to step down. The Washington Post did obtain the memo sent to him confirming the order.
You can respond directly to the Trump Transition Team by sending your comments to them on Twitter: @Transition2017 or to Donald Trump directly @RealDonaldTrump
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Image via National Guard
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