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Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller Praises Russia, Says He 'Can't Wait To Leave' His Job
Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller stunned reporters with a bizarre, meandering interview in which he praised Russia and said he can’t wait to quit his post, according to a transcript released Friday.
Miller, appointed just two months ago by President Donald Trump, told reporters Thursday on a flight back to Washington that he had “professional respect for how they do things” in Russia. He said the nation had been dealt a “bad hand,” and played it “very, very well.”
Miller added: “I kind of, you know, like, professionally, I’m like, wow, they’re doing pretty well, and they’re using a lot of irregular warfare concepts, information, all this stuff, in a way that, you know, like … good on them.”
I can’t believe what I just read.
The defense secretary actually said this about Russia:
“Professionally I’m like, wow, they’re doing pretty well, and they’re using a lot of irregular warfare concepts, information, all this stuff, in a way that, you know, like... good on them.” https://t.co/w1isNpsBDq— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) January 15, 2021
Miller presumably was not referring to such matters as the poisoning of dissidents. But aggressive efforts by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government and its supporters to utilize social media and other means to sow political discord in the U.S. is a major concern that has been flagged by America’s intelligence community. Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election to aid Trump documented by Special Counsel Robert Mueller proved a political drag on much of Trump’s term.
The acting defense secretary, a hawkish Special Forces veteran and former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, also said he would have liked to deal with the delays and cost overruns that plagued the Pentagon’s F-35 joint strike fighter and the littoral combat ship programs. But he added: “I cannot wait to leave this job — believe me.”
Still, Miller said a “part...
