. . . and side-lining troops

In addition to the pardoning of a law-breaking “lawman” (see above) President Trump used the cover of a hurricane to bury his official order banning transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military. Yes, his July tweet — the one that signaled to some active-duty personnel that their volunteer service is worthless — has officially come to life.

Trump’s order extends the ban on new transgender recruits indefinitely. But naturally he kicked the toughest decision — how to handle transgender individuals who are already serving — down to his generals.

These are generals who weren’t exactly beating down the Oval Office door to demand a reversal of President Obama’s order allowing transgender troops to serve openly. In fact, Trump’s July 26 tweet seemed to take the Pentagon by surprise.

Defense Secretary James Mattis had just announced a sixmonth delay in the acceptance of transgender recruits, pending a review of the impact on military readiness. But Trump’s order circumvented that review — to the delight of social conservatives and some Republicans in Congress who had threatened to make mischief if the Obama-era policy were to stand.

Yes, this is a classic case of the politics driving the policy — with the careers of those who have volunteered to serve their country on the line.

In response to Trump’s Friday night order two separate lawsuits were filed yesterday on behalf of transgender individuals who are currently serving or hoping to enlist, meaning the fate of yet another controversial directive from this president will be determined by the courts. Imagine, candidate Trump once frowned on executive orders . . .

There is little firm data on how many transgender individuals are currently serving, or on the actual cost of providing their medical coverage. Perhaps the president might have considered researching same before issuing his order. Ah, but that would have meant a process in which the means justify the end —and that’s just not how Trump does business.