The resignation of outgoing Defense Secretary James Mattis, and his letter explaining his reasons, will leave a "mark on the president," former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers said Monday.
"If you read that Mattis letter, this is why Republicans are getting so concerned," said Rogers, a former House Intelligence Committee chairman, told CNN's "New Day," appearing with retired NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wesley Clark.
Mattis' reasons for leaving were more than just about Afghanistan or Syria, Rogers said.
"That was the tipping point," he said. "If you look back, Mattis was the one who had to go to Japan and reassure our allies after kind of the giveaway to North Korea on troop discussions there . . . abandoning our allies and alliances in Syria and Afghanistan was probably the last straw for Gen. Mattis."
The pullout in Syria was announced at a time when Kurds were engaged in a major offensive, according to Rogers, and once that was complete, it would have added to more stability in Syria.
"Again, all of that together was probably too much for Gen. Mattis, as it should have been," said Rogers. "And Republicans are now looking at this saying, 'hey, we're going to need to be more engaged in this national security effort.'
"And let's try to put some strategy around some of these decisions. It's more important than – certainly the president is more important than a party – it's the heart and soul of the United States strategy to make sure we're safe in the long run."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.