Retired U.S. Navy Admiral and former commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command William McRaven—who organized and oversaw the operation that executed Osama bin Laden—has long been a critic of President Donald Trump.
In 2018, he called out Trump for removing the clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan for Brennan's critiques of Trump. McRaven wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post titled "Revoke My Security Clearance Too, Mr. President," leading to further attacks on his character from the President.
Now, McRaven is back with a new op-ed—and this time it's even harsher.
Titled "Our Republic is Under Attack from the President," the op-ed calls for Trump's impeachment and removal from office unless he starts demonstrating substantive leadership.
Admiral McRaven describes two recent memorable events—the changing of command at Fort Bragg and the Office of Strategic Services Society dinner—that perfectly illustrated the best qualities of the United States.
McRaven noted a sense of frustration among the soldiers at the event:
"These men and women, of all political persuasions, have seen the assaults on our institutions: on the intelligence and law enforcement community, the State Department and the press. They have seen our leaders stand beside despots and strongmen, preferring their government narrative to our own. They have seen us abandon our allies and have heard the shouts of betrayal from the battlefield. As I stood on the parade field at Fort Bragg, one retired four-star general grabbed my arm, shook me and shouted, 'I don't like the Democrats, but Trump is destroying the Republic!'"
He goes on to highlight the numerous times America's values and norms have been sullied by Trump and his administration; how often pettiness comes above patriotism in these trying times.
After praising the values that give America the hope for greatness, he wrote:
"[I]f this president doesn't demonstrate the leadership that America needs, both domestically and abroad, then it is time for a new person in the Oval Office — Republican, Democrat or independent — the sooner, the better. The fate of our Republic depends upon it."
In a surprising turn of events, Trump—who rarely favorites tweets on Twitter—favorited a tweet featuring the article, according to a Twitter bot that tracks his favorites and retweets.
He promptly unfavorited it.
Others, however, praised McRaven's patriotism and willingness to use his voice.
Hopefully McRaven's patriotism will inspire other reputable Americans to come forward.
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