January 5, 2019

Pentagon Chief of Staff Kevin Sweeney Resigns

He is the second in what is expected to be “a wave of resignations” following James Mattis’s departure.

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Another day, another resignation. This time it’s the Pentagon chief of staff, Rear Adm. Kevin Sweeney, who resigned on Saturday, offering a brief statement that made no mention of the president nor provided a reason for his departure.

“After two years in the Pentagon, I’ve decided the time is right to return to the private sector. It has been an honor to serve again alongside the men and women of the Department of Defense,” said Sweeney.

The move comes less than a week after Department of Defense Secretary James Mattis officially handed over authority to his deputy, Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive with no previous government experience prior to taking the No. 2 job at the DOD in 2017. Mattis resigned in late December after clashing with Trump over the president’s decision to withdraw troops in Syria and Afghanistan.

Since then, the department has experience a shakeup. On Monday, Mattis’s chief spokeswoman, Dana White, stepped down, announcing her resignation on Twitter: “I appreciate the opportunity afforded to me by this administration to serve alongside Secretary Mattis, our Service members and all the civilians who support them. It has been my honor and privilege,” White wrote. “Stay safe and God bless.”

Her departure marked the first of what Foreign Policy suggested would likely become “a wave of resignations from Mattis’s staff,” a prediction that is now playing out.

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You just sent an incredible message: that quality journalism doesn't have to answer to advertisers, billionaires, or hedge funds; that newsrooms can eke out an existence thanks primarily to the generosity of its readers. That's so powerful. Especially during what's been called a "media extinction event" when those looking to make a profit from the news pull back, the Mother Jones community steps in.

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