Democratic lawmakers slam Trump admin after Reuters reports US Navy admiral firing

Source: Reuters

April 8, 2025 4:42 PM EDT Updated 6 hours ago


WASHINGTON, April 8 (Reuters) - Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday sharply criticized President Donald Trump's administration and said it was harming national security, after Reuters reported the firing of U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, who held a senior position in NATO.

Reuters first reported on Monday that Chatfield, the U.S. military representative to the NATO Military Committee and one of only a handful of female Navy three-star officers, had been fired. The Pentagon on Tuesday said that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had removed Chatfield "due to a loss of confidence in her ability to lead." But Democratic lawmakers said there was no justifiable reason for her removal.

U.S. Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Chatfield was fired for "clearly political reasons." "Will Republican senators ever find a voice to stand up for our national security or is this purge going to be able to continue without any consequences," Warner said in a video on X. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said the Trump administration was harming national security.

"Secretary Hegseth has once again made Americans less safe in pursuit of his political ideology. Vice Admiral Chatfield is extraordinarily well-qualified and there is no reasonable justification for her removal," Gillibrand said in a statement. Chatfield was the first woman to lead the Naval War College, a job she held until 2023.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/democratic-lawmakers-slam-trump-admin-after-reuters-reports-us-navy-admiral-2025-04-08/