In an unprecedented move that seems bent on politicizing the nation’s armed-forces academies, the Biden administration is trying to purge Trump appointees from the boards for West Point, Annapolis and Colorado Springs.
It abruptly ordered all 18 board members appointed by then-President Donald Trump to resign by 6 p.m. Wednesday or else it would simply remove them. No matter that their terms are for three years, nor that Trump did no such purge of Obama appointees.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tried to paint it as a matter of qualifications, pointing repeatedly to her predecessor, Sean Spicer, and pollster Kellyanne Conway as questionable picks. (No matter that Conway is the first woman ever to run a winning presidential campaign, nor that Spicer is a longtime Naval reservist with a master’s from the Naval War College.)
But the purge also includes Lt.-Gen. (ret.) H.R. McMaster, who is set to be given West Point’s distinguished graduate award just days after his dismissal. Oh, and Gen. (ret.) Jack Keane, a former Army vice chief of staff, as well as war vet and clinical psychologist Meaghan Mobbs and other veterans.
Psaki gave away the show in saying the test is “whether you’re aligned with the values of this administration.”
Values that include pushing pernicious and racist “critical race theory.”
This isn’t just a cheap political move; it’s a warning sign that Team Biden is bent on putting lunatic ideology ahead of properly training the nation’s future defenders.