WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Defense Secretary James Mattis submitted a letter of resignation to President Donald Trump on Thursday, with reports indicating the former Marine Corps general is stepping down due to a dispute over the president's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.
Mattis said he would resign by the end of the February, suggesting Trump deserves a Defense Secretary who more closely shares his worldview.
'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 specifically cited 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.
Reports suggest Mattis decided to resign after Trump ignored the former four-star general's opposition to the plan to pull 2,000 American troops out of Syria.
Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Syria has also drawn considerable criticism from some of the president's allies on Capitol Hill, with Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., calling the move 'akin to surrendering.'
The president defended his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria in a series of posts on Twitter earlier in the day, arguing he is only following through on a campaign promise.
Trump claimed his decision to pull out of Syria was 'no surprise' even though lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have said they were caught off guard by the move.
'I've been campaigning on it for years, and six months ago, when I very publicly wanted to do it, I agreed to stay longer,' Trump tweeted. 'Russia, Iran, Syria & others are the local enemy of ISIS. We were doing there [sic] work. Time to come home & rebuild.'
Trump suggested the U.S. has been acting as the 'Policeman of the Middle East' but getting nothing in return from the people there, who he claimed mostly do not appreciate what the U.S. is doing.
'Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight,' Trump said, predicting Russia, Iran, and Syria would be unhappy with the move because they will have to battle ISIS and others without help from the U.S.
Despite Trump's claim about Russian unhappiness, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters he thinks the president made the 'right decision.'
Responding to Mattis' resignation in another post on Twitter, Trump referred to the Defense Secretary's departure as 'retiring, with distinction.'
'During Jim's tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment,' Trump tweeted.
'General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations,' he added. 'A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!'
The news of Mattis' resignation comes as Trump grapples with a number of other serious issues, including a potential government shutdown, the recent sell-off on Wall Street, and the ongoing Russia investigation.
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