I've just been informed by the great .@LeoShane that I did, in fact, screw up Tweet-threading again. My apologies ... so here's everything from #SecDef in one thread:
1: #SecDef spent almost an hour w/ the Pentagon Press before new year. Stories TK, but some takeaways: 1.) Look for more general purpose forces to be trained/used for roles that have drained SF 2.) W/ transgender, he would not single out or issue specific welcome (more) 1/of many
2/many: 3.) #Syria - US role will evolve, more diplomats 4.) CIVCAS: #SecDef took issue w/ Q's on #Yemen CIVCAS #s, cited high degree US precision, added w/ sympathy "the cost of war throughout history is more heavily borne by civilians." Will work w/ Saudis on addtl training
3/many (and forgive if I'm still threading wrong.) 5.) troops have asked him about political tenor of country,/inability to come together when he has visited them. 6.) Kicker: I asked #SecDef if he plans to stay w/ #Trump admin all 4 years. Mattis: "I take one day at a time."
4: Hooray! That worked, correct?
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Friday at 6:15 a.m. @ICEgov will begin the deportation of military wife Alejandra Juarez. She contacted me out of the blue months ago, after we wrote about the wife of a 7th Soecial Forces vet who got a last minute reprieve. It was her last hope. Other media followed (more)
I live in DC, where we stand for veterans & military families in the 3rd inning at every #Nationals home game. It’s a stark contradiction to the vitriol I heard about Alejandra. It didn’t matter that her husband was an honorably serving Marine, or that he later deployed to #Iraq
... as a member of Florida’s National Guard. With each story, I got to know Alejandra better. With each story, @ICEgov thought the emphasis on her husband’s military service - instead of her illegal entry was unfair. Each piece became a re-trial. (More)