Washington DC - Democratic Senator Tim Kaine accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of firing decorated US Army General Christopher Donahue over a petty "grudge" and surrounding himself with "yes-men."
During an appearance on CBS News' Face the Nation on Sunday, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine said the early exit of Donahue "caught us all by surprise."
"Are you pushing out the truth tellers to surround yourself by yes-men?" Kaine asked of Hegseth. "In particular, it looks like the secretary is coming down hardest… on the Army."
"He served in the Army; he felt like he wasn't treated well by the Army – that's a grudge he's carried that he's described publicly," Kaine told CBS' Margaret Brennan.
"So, when you see Army officers forced out, you've got to wonder, is this a personal thing, or is it really what's best for the nation?"
Donahue, a decorated soldier who was the last to leave Afghanistan in 2021, revealed last week that he'll step down from his post on July 2.
He is but another in a series of high-profile military officials who've stepped down or been dismissed under Hegseth.
Lawmakers have increasingly expressed concern about Hegseth's crackdowns on disloyalty within the Department of Defense's leadership.
Donahue's exit raises concern over Hegseth's leadership
"This is yet another unforced error from a Secretary leading the Pentagon with bro-culture bravado rather than restraint, humility and careful stewardship of the finest fighting force in the world," said Senator Thom Tillis in response to Donahue's firing.
"Strong leaders are not threatened by accomplished commanders – weak ones are. His paranoid micromanagement of senior military leaders and promotion lists is pure insecurity dressed up as reform."
"General officers and flag officers serve at the pleasure of the President and the Secretary of War," said Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell in a statement to the Daily Beast. "They always have and always will."