Trump loyalists ousted from Pentagon advisory boards


Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered all Pentagon advisory board members who were appointed by former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller to resign by Feb. 16, The Associated Press reports.
In the waning days of the Trump administration, Miller replaced longtime members of the boards with people loyal to former President Donald Trump, including onetime Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, ex-Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, and retired Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata.
Board members are not employees of the Pentagon, but they do typically have security clearances, Reuters reports. There are dozens of defense policy, health, science, and business advisory boards, and in a memo released Tuesday, Austin wrote that he has directed "the immediate suspension" of committee operations until a review into their purpose is finished. Officials told AP Austin wants to see if any of the boards have overlapping jurisdictions and if some can be modified as a cost-saving measure.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In one of his final actions, Miller appointed Tata to the Defense Policy Board on Jan. 19. Tata is a former Fox News commentator who made anti-Muslim remarks and called former President Barack Obama a "terrorist leader." A Defense Department official told Reuters there is "no question" that Austin was "deeply concerned with the pace and the extent of recent changes to membership. It gave him pause to consider the broad scope and purpose of these boards."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Colleges are canceling affinity graduations amid DEI attacks but students are pressing on
In the Spotlight The commencement at Harvard University was in the news, but other colleges are also taking action
-
When did computer passwords become a thing?
The Explainer People have been racking their brains for good codes for longer than you might think
-
What to know before 'buying the dip'
the explainer Purchasing a stock once it has fallen in value can pay off — or cost you big
-
Starving Gazans overrun US-backed food aid hub
speed read Israeli troops fired warning shots at the Palestinians
-
Israel's Western allies pull back amid Gaza escalation
speed read Britain and the EU are reconsidering allegiance with Israel as the Gaza siege continues
-
Trump drops ceasefire demand after Putin call
speed read Following a phone call with Russia's president, Trump backed off an earlier demand that Putin agree to an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine
-
Pro-EU centrist beats Trump acolyte in Romania vote
speed read The mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, defeated hard-right nationalist George Simion in the race for Romania's presidency
-
Israel-US 'rift': is Trump losing patience with Netanyahu?
Today's Big Question US president called for an end to Gaza war and negotiated directly with Hamas to return American hostage, amid rumours of strained relations
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talks
speed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'
-
US, China agree to lower tariffs for 90 days
speed read US tariffs will fall to 30% from 145%, while China will cut its tax on US imports to 10% from 125%
-
On VE Day, is Europe alone once again?
Today's Big Question Donald Trump's rebranding of commemoration as 'Victory Day for World War Two' underlines breakdown of post-war transatlantic alliance