A top official at the Pentagon is resigning at the request of President Trump.
The request for John Rood, the under secretary of defense for policy, to step down was made through Defense Secretary Mark Esper, according to Rood’s resignation letter.
“It’s my understanding from Secretary Esper that you requested my resignation from serving as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Senior administration officials appointed by the President serve at the pleasure of the President, and therefore, as you have requested, I am providing my resignation effective February 28, 2020.”
Rood was involved in certifying to Congress that Ukraine was eligible to receive $250 million in security assistance. The certification undercut the argument the Trump administration made for withholding the aid.
Shortly after Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 25, Rood emailed Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to fill him in on an upcoming meeting “to discuss the President’s concern about endemic corruption in Ukraine and his reported view that US should cease providing security assistance,” according to emails obtained by CNN.
“Placing a hold on security assistance at this time would jeopardize this unique window of opportunity and undermine our defense priorities with a key partner in the strategic competition with Russia,” he wrote in one of the emails.
Rood joined the administration in early 2018, working under then-Defense Secretary James Mattis. He has also served in several policy positions at the Pentagon in prior administrations and as an analyst for the CIA.
Defense Department press secretary Alyssa Farah said James Anderson will take over Rood’s responsibilities until a replacement is confirmed.
“I would like to thank John Rood for his service to the Department,” Esper said in a statement. “John has played a critical role on a wide range of [Defense Department] issues, including modernizing our nuclear deterrence capability, efforts to increase burden-sharing by our NATO allies, our Missile Defense Review, and implementing the National Defense Strategy. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”
