President Trump’s nominee for Army secretary has responded to critics of his stances on gay and transgender rights, saying “politics will have nothing to do” with how he serves if confirmed.
Tennessee state Sen. Mark Green, 52, issued the statement to the Washington Examiner Wednesday after the American Military Partner Association and the Human Rights Campaign accused him of being a radical with extreme anti-gay and anti-transgender political views.
The allegations stem from legislation Green, a physician and former Army special operations flight surgeon has supported in Tennessee and comments he made last fall to a Tea Party gathering.
“I was nominated by President Trump to do one job: serve as his secretary of the Army,” Green said in the written statement. “If confirmed, I will solely focus on making recommendations to him on how to keep our country safe and secure.
“Politics will have nothing to do with it,” he said.
Green, a West Point graduate and current CEO of the emergency department staffing company Align MD, was nominated last week and could soon have an initial confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Ultimately, the full Senate must vote on his nomination.
He has already garnered the support of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who said he will support Green through the confirmation process.
“Mark will provide strong civilian leadership, improve military readiness and support our service members, civilians, and their families,” Mattis said in a statement last week.
While serving in the Army, Green was on the mission to capture Saddam Hussein, was among the first to interview the deposed dictator and wrote a book about the experience.
The legislation and comments criticized by the groups mostly fell into the mainstream conservative Republican rhetoric that was occurring in various states during a fiery debate over the Obama administration’s attempt to ensure transgender students can use the school restroom of their choice.
“The notion that Mr. Obama thinks he can tell the state of Tennessee who can go into a men’s bathroom or a women’s bathroom is absurd,” Green said on a video posted in September.
Green also told the crowd that a vast majority of millennials accept transgender rights but medical professionals have a different view.
“If you poll the psychiatrists, they are going to tell you that transgender is a disease,” he said.
The military is less than a year into allowing transgender troops to serve openly. It is also now working to integrate women into combat roles historically reserved for men.
Stephen Peters, the national press secretary for Human Rights Campaign, said Tuesday that the Senate should reject Green’s nomination.
“His confirmation would send a dangerously harmful message down the chain of command undermining the incredibly important progress we’ve made toward ensuring all soldiers are treated fairly — regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” Peters wrote in an email.
