You Thought You Had a Bad Week?

by HRC Staff

It’s been a very eventful week for Mark Green’s nomination, though not in the way President Trump was hoping it’d be.

Post submitted by Aaron Rodriguez former Rapid Response Deputy Press Secretary 

Between healthcare and executive orders, it’s been a very busy week. And it’s been a very eventful week for Mark Green’s nomination, though not in the way Trump was hoping it’d be. Just today, a Department of Defense spokesperson was unable to say whether Mark Green still enjoys the support of Defense Secretary James Mattis. That lackluster response from DOD comes on the heels of growing momentum against Green’s nomination. HRC has been leading the charge to #StopMarkGreen and, from Senate Armed Service Committee members to civil rights organizations, more and more people agree: Mark Green is unfit to serve as Secretary of the Army.

Here’s a recap of what happened to Green’s nomination in just a week.

JUST LAST FRIDAY...

The Palm Center Released a Letter Signed by 22 Current and Former Faculty Members at Service Academies, War Colleges, and other Military Universities Who Oppose Green: “Mark Green would undermine good order and discipline by fostering dissension within the ranks and sowing confusion about what the military stands for. All who wear the uniform and risk their lives to defend our freedom deserve the respect and dignity they have earned, including LGBT members, Latinos, women and religious minorities, but Green has a history of creating exceptions for those who don’t want to treat others equally and respectfully. We cannot afford leaders whose priorities are inconsistent with military values. Mark Green is a serious threat to what makes our military great.”

...THEN ON MONDAY

Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer Called for Green to Withdraw His Nomination: “I strongly urge President Trump to withdraw Mark Green as his nominee for Army Secretary. The civilian leaders the President selects to oversee our military set the tone for the men and women of our Armed Forces and how they are expected to behave. Appointing someone with a clear record of homophobia and transphobia, who has made disgusting statements demeaning toward groups of Americans, would send the absolute wrong signal about the values for which our military service members are risking their lives.”

Steny Hoyer

(Hoyer joins 31 other House members already opposed to Green)

Muslim Advocates Opposed Green’s Nomination: “This is not a man equipped to lead a 21st Century army that looks like America. His anti-Muslim and anti-LGBT bigotry has no place in any Senate-confirmed position. The Senate Armed Services Committee should immediately reject this nomination.”

The Huffington Post Reported Green Believes Citizens Should Have Same Weapons As The Government: “Tennessee state Sen. Mark Green (R), President Donald Trump’s nominee for Army secretary, strongly believes that citizens should be armed ― and not just with any ol’ guns. They should be able to possess whatever weapons the military has, because an armed citizenry is the “ultimate checks and balances” against the federal government.”

CNN Reported Green Gave a Lecture Arguing Against Evolution: “Green rejects the conclusions of scientists in his lecture. In his 2015 speech to a church to Cincinnati titled 'Isn't Evolution A Solution?, Green dedicated nearly an hour to explaining why his work as a medical doctor taught him to reject the theory.”

TUESDAY WAS EVEN WORSE...

USA Today Reported Senate Armed Services Committee Chair John McCain Has Some Concerns Over Green: “Asked if he was bothered about Green’s remarks, McCain said, ‘Of course. Some of the comments that have been attributed to him obviously are very concerning.’ Asked which comments he found troubling, McCain said, ‘a broad variety – concerning the Muslim faith, concerning the LGBT community, other issues according to the comments he has made in the past.’”

...So Does Armed Services Committee Member Senator Angus King:“Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said Tuesday he is just beginning to examine Green’s record. But, ‘I have some issues that are of concern,’ he said. Asked to elaborate, King said, ‘I don’t want to be specific. But I have some concerns, and I will try to follow up.’”

...And Armed Services Committee Member Senator Claire McCaskill: “Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said she has heard of Green’s past comments and plans to review his background before his confirmation hearing. Asked if she found his statements troubling, she said, ‘Of course. That’s why I want to look at it.’”

...And Armed Services Committee Member Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: “Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has ‘serious concerns about Mark Green, particularly his deeply troubling record of supporting policies that are discriminatory against the LGBTQ community,’ said the senator’s spokesman, Marc Brumer. ‘She will look to hear these concerns addressed during his confirmation hearings.’”

...And Armed Services Committee Member Senator Lindsey Graham Didn’t Know if He Could Support Green: Graham said “he didn't know yet whether he would support Green. ‘I don't know. He's denied some of these comments,’ Graham said. ‘He's a military officer, he's a doctor who was involved in the raid to capture Saddam Hussein, so he has a fine military record. I know him casually. This is why we have hearings. I want to make sure he's the right man to lead the Army.’”

The LGBTQ Military Group OutServe-SLDN Announced Their Opposition to Mark Green: “Today, we are making it crystal clear to Mr. Green and the Trump administration that we will use every legal avenue and constitutionally granted right to stop any action attempting to rescind the policies that have granted LGBT service members the ability to serve openly and authentically, that protect them from harassment and discrimination, and that grant their families equal treatment.”

And CNN Reported Green’s Nomination was in Jeopardy: “Mark Green, Trump's second pick to be Army secretary, is facing what the sources described as a difficult -- if not insurmountable -- path to confirmation amid a backlash over his controversial statements on LGBT issues, Islam and evolution.”

...THINGS DID NOT IMPROVE ON WEDNESDAY...

Senator Elizabeth Warren Opposed Green:

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Opposed Green:

U.S. Army Veteran Ross Cohen Spoke Up Against Green in the Seattle Times: “Anti-LGBTQ record should disqualify Army-secretary nominee”: “I served in the Army as an enlisted paratrooper, including one combat deployment to the Afghan-Pakistani border. The Army represents the best of America — a diverse group of men and women fighting together for a common objective. Green’s confirmation would undermine that objective and would undermine the readiness of our military. Discrimination has a real and lasting impact on military readiness. In the years between Sept. 11, 2001, and the repeal of the discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policies, nearly 6,000 LGBTQ service members left the military. This attrition cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and weakened the all-volunteer force by compelling the military to fire talented, patriotic men and women who filled critical roles throughout the Armed Services.”

And U.S. Army Veteran Benjamin Haas Wrote Green’s Anti-LGBTQ, Islamophobic Record Means the Senate Shouldn’t Confirm Him: “The Army inspires its soldiers to embody certain values. Chief among them is the idea that all members of the team should be appreciated for their contributions, dedication to the mission, and patriotism. All soldiers deserve respect, and no soldier should feel unwelcome because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or religious background. Unfortunately, Donald Trump’s nominee for Army secretary, Mark Green, has an anti-LGBTQ, Islamophobic record indicating that he does not exemplify these principles. But if confirmed, he would be vested with the responsibility to lead tens of thousands of LGBTQ and Muslim soldiers in the Army. Accordingly, he is unfit for the position, and the Senate should not confirm him.”

The Huffington Post Reported Green Said Looking at Victoria’s Secret Catalogs Can Turn Men Into Saddam Hussein: “In 2015, Green spoke at a church in Tennessee and gave some advice to attendees about how to avoid the ‘downward spiral’ away from God that Hussein fell victim to: stop looking at Victoria’s Secret catalogues…. ‘That’s the process of how you get to Saddam Hussein, is you take one little step away from the truth,’ he continued. ‘You break your conscience just a little bit. You walk away and you look at that Victoria’s Secrets [sic] catalogue when you know you probably shouldn’t. And it’s one step away from God, and it’s one step closer to Saddam Hussein.’”

AND YESTERDAY...WELL, IT WASN’T GOOD.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Opposed Mark Green: “The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 200 national organizations committed to promoting and protecting the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States, believes that federal departments must be led by individuals who have tolerance and respect for the diversity of employees whom they employ. Those who sacrifice for our country through military service deserve to have leadership that is
worthy of that sacrifice. Mr. Green would not be such a leader.”

Assistant Minority Leader Senator Patty Murray Will Oppose Green: From The Hill, “‘The men and women who sign up to serve our country deserve a leader who instills a culture of integrity and respect for all of our servicemembers, regardless of their religion, race, sexual orientation or gender identity,’ Murray, the assistant minority leader, said in a statement. ‘Unfortunately, on multiple occasions, Dr. Mark Green has demonstrated he is not that leader,’ she continued. ‘I will oppose his nomination, and I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to do the same.’”

Senator Donnelly Announced He’d Oppose Green: “While I respect Dr. Green’s service to our country in the Armed Forces, I will oppose his nomination to be Secretary of the Army. Now more than ever, we need our nation’s best and brightest to serve as Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines – regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation. I am not confident that Dr. Green is capable of leading today’s diverse Army and maintaining it as the most sophisticated and powerful ground force the world has ever known.”

And CNN Discovered Green Blasted Obama for Supporting 'transvestites in uniform': “Donald Trump's nominee to be Army secretary, Mark Green, wrote in a June 2013 Facebook post that then-President Barack Obama ‘supports transvestites in uniform.’”

FINALLY, TODAY…

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith Calls for Green to Withdraw: “I am deeply offended by the discriminatory comments that Mark Green, the nominee for Secretary of the Army, has expressed and I condemn them. They are not acceptable positions for a service secretary to hold, and he should withdraw his name from contention for this position. All Americans need to feel welcome serving our country, and sentiments like these only undermine our values and harm our national defense.”

The Hill Reported a Group of Retired Military Officers Did the Same: “As retired Flag and General Officers, we believe Mark Green is unfit to serve as the next Secretary of the Army. State Senator Green has a history of demeaning LGBT Americans, Latinos, and Muslims, and of denying basic healthcare to women. The military we served embraces diversity as a critical component of readiness, and relies on a diverse fighting force to protect a nation founded on the principles of tolerance and inclusion.”

HRC and More Than 40 Other Civil Rights Organizations Sent a Letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee Chair and Ranking Member: “In recent years, the Army has moved toward creating an equal opportunity environment—one that strengthens the force and ensures all service members are treated fairly. However, Mark Green’s inflammatory rhetoric conflicts with the Army’s core values and ability to draw on the best talent to accomplish the mission. His radical views would send an incredibly dangerous message down the chain of command—a message that undermines the important progress we’ve made, threatening morale and readiness.”

And Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth Opposed Green: “At a time when our Military and our nation face growing threats from foreign enemies, our Armed Forces cannot afford to turn away any capable and qualified servicemember. Confirming someone with Dr. Green’s attitudes towards Muslim, Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Americans would send the wrong message to brave and selfless Americans who simply wish to serve their nation. It should not matter what religion you are or what your sexual orientation is when you join the military, only that you care deeply about this country and want to serve and defend it. I am grateful for Dr. Green’s record of service but if he doesn’t appreciate the importance of a diverse, inclusive Army, then he is not fit to lead it.”

Senator Tammy Baldwin Called on Donald Trump to Withdraw Green’s Nomination: “The U.S. Army Soldier’s Code requires Soldiers to pledge to ‘treat others with dignity and respect while expecting others to do the same.’ Disturbingly, Tennessee State Senator Mark Green, President Trump’s nominee to serve as the next Secretary of the Army, has failed to uphold this solemn pledge. His deeply offensive statements and actions have repeatedly demeaned and disrespected the value and contributions of LGBT Americans, Latinos, Muslims and women.”