McCain: Army chief nominee’s past comments ‘concerning’
Republican Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Tuesday that Army secretary nominee Mark Green’s comments about gays and lesbians and Muslims are “very concerning ” and that Green must explain himself to the committee.
“There’s a lot of controversy concerning his nomination,” said McCain, whose committee will be responsible for holding Green’s confirmation hearing. “We are getting some questions from both Republicans and Democrats on the Armed Services Committee. I think there are some issues that clearly need to be cleared up.”
McCain told USA TODAY he was troubled by “a broad variety” of Green’s remarks “concerning the Muslim faith, concerning the LGBT community, other issues.”
No date had been set for Green’s confirmation hearing, McCain said, because his nomination hadn’t been formally submitted to the committee. “But when his nomination is (formally) submitted, we will give him an opportunity to respond to these questions that have been raised,” McCain said.
Green, an Iraq War veteran and West Point graduate who was deployed three times overseas, has come under fire from numerous advocacy groups since President Trump announced last month he would nominate him to be Army secretary.
Green, who was the first person to interrogate Saddam Hussein after the former Iraqi dictator’s capture, is a Republican state senator from Tennessee whose conservative philosophy lines up closely with the Tea Party.
LGBT groups denounced Green’s nomination, calling him “a social issues warrior” who has worked to undermine LGBT rights at every turn. One of the groups, GLAAD, released audio from a radio program in which Green, discussing his sponsorship of a bill that would have forced transgender students to use the bathroom that matched their birth sex rather than the gender with which they identified, said his responsibility as a state senator was to “crush evil.”
Others have pointed to Green’s sponsorship of legislation that would allow mental health practitioners to refuse to treat LGBT patients.
“If you poll the psychiatrists, they’re going to tell you transgender is a disease,” Green said at a Chattanooga Tea Party event last September.
In addition to criticism of his record on LGBT issues, Green faces opposition from Muslim Advocates and the Council on American-Islamic Relations for comments the organizations considered derogatory toward the Islamic faith and its followers.
At the Chattanooga event, Green said he didn’t believe students should learn about Muslim beliefs and religious practices and claimed erroneously that Muslims don’t believe Jesus “was born from a virgin.”
Last week, nearly three dozen House Democrats sent a letter asking the Senate to reject Green’s nomination, arguing he cannot be trusted to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender soldiers are able to serve without discrimination or harassment.
A top Pentagon official under President Obama and a group of 21 current and former faculty members at military service academies, war colleges and other military universities announced last week that they oppose Green’s nomination, citing his history “of extreme statements and actions,” which they said pose a “serious threat” to the military’s core values.
Besides McCain, at least three other members of the Senate Armed Services Committee have raised concerns about Green’s comments.
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said Tuesday that he was just beginning to examine Green’s record. “I have some issues ... and I will try to follow up,” he said.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said she has heard of Green’s comments and planned to review his background before his confirmation hearing.
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.
Green declined to discuss the criticism with reporters. In a Facebook post last week, Green blasted his critics for “cutting and splicing my words to paint me as a hater.”
He wrote that every American has a right to defend his or her country and that he has never considered himself anyone’s judge.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a member of the Armed Services Committee, declined to discuss Green’s background but said, “I am certain the committee will fairly carefully consider each of the nominees before it.”
Tenn. lawmaker seen as a threat by LGBT groups, Muslims “If you poll the psychiatrists, they’re going to tell you transgender is a disease.” Mark Green at a Tea Party event last September