WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump revealed Sunday that Defense Secretary James Mattis will be stepping down at the start of the New Year, earlier than the outgoing secretary's previously announced resignation at the end of February.
Trump announced in a post on Twitter that Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan will serve as Acting Defense Secretary beginning January 1st.
'I am pleased to announce that our very talented Deputy Secretary of Defense, Patrick Shanahan, will assume the title of Acting Secretary of Defense starting January 1, 2019,' Trump tweeted.
The president added, 'Patrick has a long list of accomplishments while serving as Deputy, & previously Boeing. He will be great!'
Mattis submitted his letter of resignation last Thursday due in part to a dispute over Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.
'Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours,' Mattis wrote, 'I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.'
Mattis seemed to cite his belief in the strength of U.S. alliances and partnerships as well as the need to be 'resolute and unambiguous' in the approach to countries such as China and Russia as areas of disagreement with Trump.
In a post to Twitter on Saturday, Trump said he has an 'interesting relationship' with Mattis, adding, 'Allies are very important-but not when they take advantage of U.S.'
The replacement of Mattis comes as Trump grapples with a number of other serious issues, including a partial government shutdown, the recent sell-off on Wall Street, and the ongoing Russia investigation.
(Photo: Gage Skidmore)
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