Mark Green, President Trump’s pick for Army secretary, withdrew from consideration Friday after a storm of criticism over his past comments on gay marriage, transgender rights and Islam. This marks the second person nominated to be the Army’s top civilian to take himself out of the running, and the third of Trump’s service secretary picks to do so.
Green, a Tennessee state senator, cited “false and misleading attacks” as a reason for the decision and said his nomination had become a distraction for Trump. He also thanked Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who had vouched for Green’s credentials a month ago and pledged to stand by him through the confirmation process.
“Tragically, my life of public service and my Christian beliefs have been mischaracterized and attacked by a few on the other side of the aisle for political gain,” Green said in a statement.
The controversy over his public comments had “no bearing on the needs of the Army or my qualifications to serve,” he said.
Green declined an interview request from the Washington Examiner.
The announcement came after a week of growing opposition to Green, a devout Christian and former Army special operations flight surgeon, from Democrats in Congress and civil rights groups for what they deemed a history of homophobia and disdain for diversity.
The controversy grew from numerous YouTube videos and interview recordings of Green during his time as a state legislator in which he called on Tennessee to oppose the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, warned transgender bathroom rights could traumatize female rape victims, opposed the teaching of Islam in public schools, and suggested public healthcare was unjust because it kept churches from converting people to Christianity.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, one of the Senate Democrats who had called on Green to withdraw, said his departure “is good news for all Americans.”
“He was the wrong choice to serve as Secretary, and should not have been nominated in the first place. As I said before, a man who was the lead sponsor of legislation to make it easier for businesses to discriminate against the LGBTQ community; opposes gay marriage, which is the law of the land; believes being transgender is a ‘disease;’ supports constricting access to legal contraception; and makes deeply troubling comments about Muslims is the wrong choice to lead America’s Army.
“It’s because of the advocacy community’s hard work that Mr. Green decided to remove his hat from the ring and it is now my hope that President Trump will take these views into consideration and nominate someone who can faithfully lead and represent all members of the U.S. Army.”
Green’s withdrawal comes after Trump’s first pick for the job, Vincent Viola, withdrew his bid due financial concerns. The move leaves the White House without candidate to take the top civilian post in the military’s largest service branch.
Now, the president will be able to proceed with his plans to build up the military without the controversy over his nomination drawing away attention, Green said.
“I appreciate [Trump’s] support and confidence in me, as well as that of Secretary Mattis and many others, and their desire to make America great again by preparing our military to face the many challenges in the world for the safety and security of our nation,” Green said in his statement.
“But to meet these challenges, there should be no distractions. And unfortunately due to false and misleading attacks against me, this nomination has become a distraction.”
