Trump's Firing Of Military Brass Prompts Concern But Little Pushback From Republicans

When the Senate unanimously confirmed Gen. CQ Brown Jr. as Air Force chief of staff in 2020, President Donald Trump hailed a "historic day for America!" on social media and said he was "Excited to work even more closely with Gen. Brown, who is a Patriot and Great Leader!"

Trump's Feb. 21 social media post firing Brown , who had since risen to the military's top uniformed officer, was comparatively reserved. The Republican president dismissed Brown, the second African American to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, along with five other Pentagon officials in a rare move that some critics fear pushes politics into an institution vaunted for its nonpartisanship and adherence to the Constitution.

On Capitol Hill, the move drew little criticism from many Republican senators who had once hailed Brown's service to the nation.

"My understanding is the president does have the ability to decide who he wants to be as chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Gen. Brown, I believe, has done an excellent job," said Sen. Mike Rounds , R-S.D.

"I would've been more than happy if the president had left him right in there. But the president has the ability and the authority to make up his own mind as to who he wants," said Rounds, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.