U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Personnel, today issued the following statement on President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement that he will nominate General James Mattis as Defense Secretary:
“While I deeply respect General Mattis’s service, I will oppose a waiver. Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy, and I will not vote for an exception to this rule.”