 [Axios] The Army has suspended a three-star general's contract and placed him under investigation after he posted a tweet that appeared to mock first lady Jill Biden, USA Today reports.
The big picture: Retired Lt. Gen. Gary Volesky, the Army's former top spokesman, responded to a tweet from Biden that said the rights of women had been stolen in the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
"For nearly 50 years, women have had the right to make our own decisions about our bodies. Today, that right was stolen from us," Biden tweeted.
"Glad to see you finally know what a woman is," Volesky said.
Details: Lt. Gen. Theodore Martin, commander of the Combined Arms Center, suspended Volesky while the investigation is underway, Cynthia Smith, an Army spokesperson, told USA Today.
Volesky, who was in charge of the Army's 101st Airborne Division, had signed a contract after he retired to advise active-duty officers as a senior mentor.
Between the lines: Volesky's response is a breach of decorum for a retired military officer, USA Today writes.
It's an unusual step into partisan politics by an official the Pentagon is paying, especially since the department typically steers clear of such matters.
Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was a "mistake" to make a June 2020 appearance with then-President Trump in Lafayette Square. "My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics," he said in a video message several days later.
Following the Jan 6 insurrection, Milley and the other Joint Chiefs sent a memo reminding troops of their oath to the Constitution.
Flashback: Volesky responded to a tweet from Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) when she announced that she would be on the Jan. 6 select committee and that their "oath to the Constitution must be above partisan politics."
"This is all about partisan politics," Volesky said. |