US Defense Secretary James Mattis finally announced his long-anticipated resignation to allow President Donald Trump to have a defense chief whose views are more aligned with the US president, he said in his resignation letter Thursday.
Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general who was known as a stabilizing force in President Trump’s cabinet, will leave his job at the end of February, Trump said in a tweet on Thursday.
“General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years,” Trump tweeted.
….equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018
Trump also announced he would nominate a successor to Mattis…