US Democrats alarmed at extent of military's sway in Trump's cabinet

US Democratic lawmakers and politicians are increasingly alarmed over the number of military generals picked by President-elect Donald Trump for his incoming administration, pointing to concerns about the extent of influence the military will possess in the government.

“Frankly, I'm concerned by the number of generals President-elect Trump has chosen to serve in his administration,” said Connecticut Democratic Senator Christ Murphy, the Hill reported Saturday.

“Each of these individuals have great merit in their own right. But as we’ve learned over the years, particularly in the past two decades, viewing problems in the world primarily through a military lens can be disastrous," he added.

So far, Trump has picked three generals for top cabinet posts: retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn as national security adviser, retired Marine General James Mattis for Defense Secretary and retired General John Kelly for Secretary of Homeland Security.

There is also the potential for even more military figures in the upcoming administration. Retired General David Petraeus and retired Admiral James Stavridis have been under consideration for secretary of State, and Admiral Michael Rogers, the current head of the National Security Agency, is being considered for Director of National Intelligence.

It is, however, not uncommon for incoming administrations to appoint retired generals to cabinet posts. President Barack Obama picked three of them when he came into office: retired General Jim Jones as national security adviser, retired General Eric Shinseki as Veterans Affairs Secretary and retired Admiral Dennis Blair as Director of National Intelligence.

But the choice of Mattis to lead the Pentagon, in breach of the 7-year required cooling-off period, has highlighted the notion that the military will wield far more power in Trump’s administration, said retired Lieutenant General David Barno, who commanded US-led military forces in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005. 

“That’s what got people’s attention right away, and then there was the continued drum beat of other senior military officers being considered and going in for meetings,” Barno said. 

Concerns further focus on Trump himself, who is seen as an unpredictable businessman with no government, national security or foreign policy experience.

“You’ve got a president, whose judgment at least some people have questioned, who seems to be an instinct improviser, surrounding himself with people who see the world through a military filter,” said Gordon Adams, who oversaw defense budgeting for the Clinton administration. “Not a good idea.”

This is while the Trump team has defended his cabinet picks and the number of generals nominated for top posts.

“There is no quota for the number of tough-minded, accomplished people who are qualified to do these jobs,” senior Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway told Fox News Friday.

Moreover, the spokesman for the Republican National Committee, Sean Spicer, downplayed the concerns, saying Trump’s cabinet choices come from diverse backgrounds, including business and government.

“This is a very, very broad group, diverse group of high-quality, high-caliber people who, in their own respective fields, whether it’s academia, business or government, have shown that they know how to get the job done,” Spicer said in an interview on PBS Newshour on Wednesday.

Democrats, however, remain wary, according to the report. 

"It’s the G&G cabinet," said Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri in a statement. "It does seem to be fairly limited to Goldman Sachs and generals."

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