Retired Gen. James Mattis doesn’t belong at the helm of the Pentagon because of his recent time in the military, a member of the House Armed Services Committee said Monday.
Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and a former Marine who served in Iraq, said Monday that while he is grateful for Mattis’ years of service in the Marine Corps, he believes it’s important for the country’s military to be led by a civilian.
“As a veteran, I believe strongly in the principle of civilian leadership of the military. Current law requires that a military officer be out of active duty for at least seven years before taking the job of defense secretary,” Gallego said in a statement. “I do not believe this long-standing check should be cast aside, and I will oppose a waiver of this rule, even for someone as exceptionally qualified as Gen. Mattis.”
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he is willing to draft legislation that would grant Mattis a waiver of the seven-year gap required between when a service member hangs up his or her uniform and when they can serve as a civilian defense secretary. Mattis retired in 2013 after 44 years in the Corps.
Gallego is not the only one who will oppose a waiver for Mattis. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also does not support granting an exception for Mattis and will vote against a waiver.
“Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy,” she said last week.
Trump is expected to formally announce that Mattis is his choice to lead the Pentagon this week. Despite a couple voices expressing opposition to a waiver, Mattis appears to have broad, bipartisan support on Capitol Hill.
