The Army has terminated the contract of a three-star general and is investigating him after he posted a tweet that appeared to mock First Lady Jill Biden, USA Today reports.
The big picture: Retired Lt. Gen. Gary Volesky, a former Army spokesman, responded to a tweet from Biden who said women’s rights were stolen in the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
- “For almost 50 years, women have had the right to make their own decisions about their bodies. Today, that right was stolen from us,” Biden tweeted.
- “I’m glad to see you finally know what a woman is,” Volesky said.
Details: Lt. Gen. Theodore Martin, commander of the Combined Arms Center, has suspended Volesky pending an investigation, Cynthia Smith, an Army spokeswoman, told USA Today.
- Volesky, who commanded the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, had signed on after he retired to advise active-duty officers as a senior mentor.
Between the lines: Volesky’s response was a breach of decorum for a retired military man, USA Today reports.
- It’s an unusual step into partisan politics from a Pentagon-paid official, especially since the department typically avoids such questions.
- Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was a “mistake” to appear in June 2020 with then-President Trump in Lafayette Square. “My presence at that moment and in that environment created an image of the military involved in domestic politics,” he said in a video address a few days later.
- After the uprising on January 6, Milley and the other Joint Chiefs sent a note reminding the troops of their oath to the Constitution.
Flashback: Volesky responded to a tweet from Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) when she announced that she would be on the select committee on Jan. 6 and that their “oath to the Constitution must come above partisan politics.”
- “This is all about partisan politics,” Volesky said.
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