The Biden administration told 11 former Trump officials to resign from their appointed positions on military service academy advisory boards or face dismissal, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Wednesday.
The officials include former Senior Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway, former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, and former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, CNN reported. They were appointed to the advisory boards of the Air Force Academy, Naval Academy and West Point, respectively, by former President Donald Trump.
“The President’s objective is what any president’s objective is — to ensure you have nominees and people serving on these boards who are qualified to serve on them and who are aligned with your values. And so yes, that was an ask that was made,” Psaki told reporters at a briefing.
“I will let others evaluate whether they think Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer and others were qualified, or not political, to serve on these boards, but the President’s qualification requirements are not your party registration, they are whether you’re qualified to serve and whether you’re aligned with the values of this administration,” she added.
President Biden, I’m not resigning, but you should. pic.twitter.com/HuRYM4bLYP
— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) September 8, 2021
Additional former Trump officials asked to resign include former White House liaison to the Justice Department Heidi Stirrup and former Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought, CNN reported. (RELATED: Here Are All The Trump Administration Officials Who Resigned In The Wake Of The Capitol Riot)
Vought indicated he would not resign in a tweet on Wednesday, saying “No. It’s a three year term.”
“Instead of focusing on the stranded Americans left in #Afghanistan, President Biden is trying to terminate the Trump appointees to the Naval Academy, West Point and Air Force Academy,” Spicer tweeted Wednesday.
Conway also said she was not resigning. “Since I’m not the Conway on Twitter regularly, I’d forgotten how left-wing it is and how nutty some people are. LOLOL. I’m WORRIED for you,” she tweeted.
“I am not resigning. As an alum and former naval officer, I believe developing leaders capable of defending our country’s interests at sea–USNA’s mission–is not something that should be consumed by partisan politics,” Jonathan Hiler, who worked for former Vice President Mike Pence, tweeted. “Apparently, President Biden feels differently.”
The Pentagon announced Friday it would restart 16 defense advisory boards, after purging a number of Trump loyalists appointed by Christopher Miller, the former acting Defense Secretary, in February, Defense News reported.
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