Donald Trump has recently been embroiled in controversy surrounding his relationship with the military. Polls have shown support for him among active-duty members has been declining. There have been new reports of him making very disparaging about those who'd served, including about service members who'd been killed or wounded in action.
After the stories broke, Trump spoke to the press about the allegations. His comments sparked new controversy. He claimed that military leadership didn't like him because of him supposedly withdrawing troops from overseas.
According to Trump, Pentagon officials want to keep fight so defense contractors can keep making more money. These new comments have not gone over very well.
Thornberry, Graham rebuke the claims
Donald Trump's accusations about high-ranking military officials have gotten a lot of push-backs. Including from other members of the Republican Party. One of the harshest critics has been U.S. Representative Mac Thornberry of Texas, which indicates CNN. Thornberry is the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. He previously chaired the committee from 2015 to 2019. He's also been a somewhat frequent critic of Trump's regarding military and foreign policy matters.
Thornberry condemned having 'a commander in chief question the motivations of military leaders and basically say they're in it for themselves.' He added that it 'gives our adversaries an opening.' Thornberry also issued high praise for the leaders in question.
Saying that their patriotism is 'without question' and that they're 'remarkable individuals.'
Another person Thornberry praised was Jennifer Griffin, a Fox News correspondent. Griffin had reported that she could confirm a number of the stories about Trump disparaging the military. In return, Trump tweeted that she should be fired.
Thornberry seems to feel otherwise, saying Griffin's 'integrity is as impeccable as anybody I've ever worked with.'
Politico reports that another defender of the armed services has been Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Graham is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel. He had also been a bitter rival of Trump's for the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination.
Since then, however, he's been one of Trump's staunchest allies. But apparently not in this case. 'I don't buy that idea at all,' Graham said. He added, 'the people who want to avoid the war the most are the ones who actually fight it.'
Both have been in Congress since 1995
Mac Thornberry was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994. He defeated the Democratic incumbent Bill Sarpalius. Thornberry represents the state's 13th Congressional District, based in northern Texas. Since his win in 1994, Thornberry has continuously won re-election in landslide results.
Lindsey Graham first entered politics as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. He represented the 2nd District, based out of Oconee County in western South Carolina.
In 1994, Graham was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 3rd Congressional District. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002. He currently chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee.
