Breaking: Trump’s Anti-LGBT Nominee for Secretary of Army Withdraws After Massive Outrage

Nominee Suggested Americans Should Be Able to Own Any Weapon the Military Can, Even an Aircraft Carrier

Tennessee State Senator Mark Green, President Donald Trump’s nominee to become Secretary of the Army, has withdrawn after massive outrage from the general public and a campaign against him that included military and civil rights groups expressing opposition.

In a statement Green said he is withdrawing “due to false and misleading attacks” against him that have become a “distraction.”

Newsweek this week reported Green once suggested “Americans should be able to own any weapon the federal government has, even an aircraft carrier.”

Just yesterday, the right-wing Washington Examiner reported “President Trump’s pick for Army secretary once said government-assisted healthcare is an ‘injustice’ because it hampers church-affiliated providers from converting people to Christianity.”

This is Trump’s second nominee to head the Army that has been forced to withdraw. Upon taking office Trump fired one of the most respected and best qualified Army Secretaries in modern history, Eric Fanning, who also happened to be the first openly-gay head of any U.S. military branch. 

Last year Green in an interview suggested transgender people are “evil,” saying, according to GLAAD:

“The government exists to honor those people who live honorable who do good things – to reward people who behave well and to crush evil. So that means as a state senator, my responsibility very clearly in Romans 13 is to create an environment where people who do right are rewards and the people who do wrong are crushed. Evil is crushed. So I’m going to protect women in their bathrooms, and I’m going to protect our state against potential infiltration from the Syrian ISIS people in the refugee program. And whoever wants to stand up and take me on that, I’m ready to fight.”

He also has suggested that transgender people have a “disease.”

In his statement today, Green presented himself as a victim.

“Tragically, my life of public service and my Christian beliefs have been mischaracterized and attacked by a few on the other side of the aisle for political gain.”

“While these false attacks have no bearing on the needs of the Army or my qualifications to serve, I believe it is critical to give the President the ability to move forward with his vision to restore our military to its rightful place in the world.”

GLAAD also noted Green was the lead sponsor “of a Tennessee state bill that would allow local companies to discriminate against LGBTQ people without any repercussion from local government,” and sponsor of “an anti-trans Tennessee state bill requiring students to use restrooms in accordance with their birth certificates.” Green was the sponsor of a “bill allowing teachers to shun content that conflicts with their beliefs,” GLAAD notes.

He also backed a Tennessee state bill that allows therapists to refuse service to LGBT clients, including minors, based on their own “sincerely held religious beliefs.”

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