Biden Ousts Trump Military Academy Board Appointees

BUCK: When Democrats come in, they will demand that there is a mass firing of U.S. attorneys. When a new Democrat administration comes in, they’ll fire whoever they want to fire to make sure their people are in place. Republicans… There will always be some Republicans saying (sniveling), “Oh, no, that’s not the way we should do it. We don’t fight dirty like they fight dirty.”

Well, that doesn’t necessarily lead to the outcomes we want. I give you a situation here where they’re throwing punches, and while it’s gross, I say, “Just remind yourself, folks: When they have the power, this is how they play the game.” You have “Trump loyalists” who are being…

Now, that’s the way it’s being described at NPR, people who were associated with the Trump administration, many of whom have long-standing service to the nation apart from the Trump administration. This White House, the Biden White House, sent letters to 18 people named to the boards of visitors for the Air Force Academy, Military Academy, Naval Academy saying, “You will resign by the end of business Wednesday or be terminated.”

This is according to the Associated Press. Donald Trump made these appointments during his final months in office. Here is, for example, a moment in time where you see, Clay, they have no problem — they have no problem — with playing rough. Here’s Jen Psaki straight up defending this.

PSAKI: The president’s objective is what any president’s objective is: is — was to ensure, uhh, you have nominees and people serving on these boards who are qualified to serve on them and who are aligned, uhh, with your values. Uhh, I — I will let others evaluate whether they think Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer and others were qualified or not political, uh, to serve on these boards.

BUCK: What do you make of all this, Clay? I just see this as Democrats are like, “You know what? We want to bust out the steamroller. That’s what we do.”

CLAY: Yeah. I think there’s a big truth to that. Some of the statements that were made… I mean, you can focus on, as Jen Psaki did, those individuals and say, “Oh, they were hyperpolitical,” for lack all of better word, “they deserved it.” But the statement that I thought Meaghan Mobbs made… I don’t know if you read this, but she put out a statement when this all happened that said, “While the appreciate the notification, I won’t be resigning.

“I find the whole act unconscionable and not in the spirit of which this administration promised to govern.” This is really well said by her. “President Biden ran on a supposed platform of ‘unity,’ but his actions speak directly to the contrary. Apparently, ‘unity’ is only for those who conform. When I joined the board under the Trump administration, there were holdovers from the Obama administration.

“They were not terminated but instead served alongside Trump appointees. This mix of perspective, experience, and belief services ensured there was diversity, a value the Democratic Party purports to hold above all else. As the youngest appointee, a woman, and a veteran of Afghanistan, it’s been a great honor to serve on the Board of Visitors at the United States Military Academy, my alma mater.

“It’s tragic this great institution is now being subjected to and hijacked by partisan action that serves no purpose and no greater good.” Props to Meaghan Mobbs, who shared that yesterday when all of this craziness started to come down.

BUCK: Sean Spicer also fired back.

CLAY: Yeah.

BUCK: He said that he has served under five presidents of both parties and that politics never entered into his service. Sean’s a veteran. There’s also H. R. McMaster, longtime veteran, very senior guy in the military. So there were people, Clay, who have had a history of bipartisan service. They’re all just being tossed out — and look, is this making a huge different to the future of the country?

No. But it just goes to show you, in my sense, two take-aways. One, there’s nothing that is too petty for the Democrats, and, two, when they have the power, they use the power. Our side always wrings its hands and goes (mewling), “I — I don’t know, MSNBC will say mean things about us.”

CLAY: Final line here from Meaghan Mobbs: “We have three watchwords at West Point: ‘Duty, honor, country.’ Today, the Biden administration violated them all.”