Another retired 4-star general slams Trump, but this one wouldn't work for him

(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/ABC News)

last updated 31 December 2018

Retired four-star Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal called President Trump dishonest and immoral in an interview with ABC News' Martha Raddatz broadcast Sunday. He asked Americans to consider why someone as "selfless and committed" as outgoing Defense Secretary James Mattis, a fellow four-star general, would resign "in a public way like that," with a rebuke of Trump. And McChrystal, once floated by Trump as a running mate, shut down any notion he might be willing to replace Mattis. "I think it's important for me to work for people who I think are basically honest, who tell the truth as best they know it," he said. "You think he's a liar?" Raddatz asked. "I don't think he tells the truth," McChrystal said. "Is Trump immoral, in your view?" Raddatz asked. "I think he is," McChrystal replied.

McChyrstal said he'd never tell any Trump supporters "they are wrong," but he asked every American to "stand in front of that mirror" and consider whether we really "want to be governed by someone we wouldn't do a business deal with because their background is so shady." Maggie Haberman at The New York Times notes that McChrystal's comments overlapped with milder criticism from outgoing Chief of Staff John Kelly, another retired four-star general:

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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