Judge Faults Trump Justice Department for Slow Appeal of Her Own Injunction Ordering Military to Recruit Transgenders

President Donald Trump promised to end political correctness in the military, and the Republican National Platform enthusiastically endorsed that goal. In the early months of the Trump Administration, the Center for Military Readiness recommended constitutionally-sound ways to end PC and restore sound policies to improve mission readiness and combat lethality.

It has become increasingly apparent, however, that LGBT activists have used a combination of insider holdover influence and judicial activism to get their way.  As explained in articles linked below, unless something changes quickly, both Defense Secretary James Mattis and Attorney General Jeff Sessions will share responsibility for letting down President Trump and the troops he leads.

1. CMR Analyzes Activist Judges' Attempts to Overrule President Trump on Military Transgender Policies

President Trump has shown leadership in directing the Department of Defense to recommend specific plans to deliver on his promise to revoke Obama-era policies regarding transgenders in the military.  LGBT activists filed lawsuits to stop him, and two federal district judges issued preliminary injunctions ordering restoration of Obama-era transgender policies.  The Departments of Defense and Justice, unfortunately, have not been vigorously backing President Trump or defending his constitutional prerogatives in federal court. For details, see CMR's new Policy Analysis:

• CMR: "Supreme Judicial Commanders" Should Not Run Our Military

The article includes an update, reporting that the Justice Department's belated request for a stay of the judge's high-handed ruling has been denied.  The Executive Branch needs to lead this fight and win before January 1, 2018.  They can do this, but it won't be easy.  CMR will continue to report the truth of what is happening, and why.

Additional articles of interest are here:  

• James Hasson, The Federalist: Federal Judges Set Dangerous Precedent Blocking Military Orders 
• Bloomberg/AP, updated: Transgender People Can Enlist in Military on January 1 
• Daniel Horowitz, Conservative Review: Where is Congress on Court's Self-Mutilation of the Military? 
• Daily Signal: I'm a Pediatrician. When a Little Boy Patient Said He was a Girl, Here's what I Did 
• Julie Pulley, Washington Examiner: Trump's Transgender Ban Makes Military and Medical Sense 

2. Defense Department Retains Pro-LGBT Obama Holdover to Recommend Transgender Policies Contrary to Trump Guidance

It is no secret that holdover officials in several government departments have been promoting the agenda of former President Barack Obama, instead of faithfully executing the policies of President Donald Trump.  One of these high-level officials is Anthony Kurta, the former Deputy Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy under former Secretary Ashton Carter. In that capacity, Kurta was responsible for implementation of some of the most harmful social engineering directives in military history. Read More Here:

• CMR: Defense Department Retains Pro-LGBT Obama Holdover to Recommend Transgender Policies Contrary to Trump Guidance

Instead of replacing Mr. Kurta months ago, Defense Secretary Mattis approved his nomination for a promotion, and allowed him to chair a "panel of experts" that will soon make recommendations for Trump Administration policies regarding transgenders in the military.  This is a swamp that needs to be drained!

3. Are Young People Rejecting Social Policies in Our Military?

When USA Today recently reported that certain psychological conditions and behavioral problems would no longer disqualify recruits seeking to join the Army, controversy ensued and damage control began almost immediately.  Deputy Personnel Chief Lt. Gen. Thomas Seamands claimed in a statement that conditions have been "unfairly characterized." CMR analyzed that misleading statement and more in this article: 

• CMR: Is the Army Masking Deeper Recruiting Problems?

4. New Army Leaders Need to Examine Social Changes that Weaken Morale

During the recent Army/Navy game in Philadelphia, Naval Academy partisans chided leaders of the U.S. Military Academy for retaining 2^nd Lt. Spenser Rapone, a former cadet who was allowed to graduate despite evidence of leftist leanings.  Among other things, a widely-circulated photo shows Rapone holding a sign proclaiming, "Communists Will Win."

• Debra Heine, PJ Media:'Communism WON'T Win': Navy Roasts Army Over 'Commie Cadet' During Army/Navy Football Game 

The story continues to fester because the Department of the Army has yet to discipline 2^nd Lt. Rapone, and officials who allowed him to graduate from West Point and be sent to the 10^th Mountain Division have not been held accountable.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) wrote an emphatic letter to Acting Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, demanding that Rapone be de-commissioned, disciplined under the UCMJ, and forced to repay the cost of his military service academy education.  Sen. Rubio also demanded that West Point release "all relevant information regarding West Point's efforts to ensure cadets who actively support the destruction of our government do not waste more taxpayer funds or prevent a more worthy candidate from attending."

According to the Daily Caller, in 2015 Lt. Col. Robert Heffington, a West Point faculty member, observed Rapone engaging in insubordinate and highly-inappropriate behavior in a USMA building.  Col. Heffington felt compelled to file a Sworn Statement describing Rapone's outrageous behavior.

Lt. General Robert L. Caslen, Jr., Superintendent at West Point, responded to Col. Heffington's Statement with an Open Letter "To the Men and Women of the Long Gray Line."  Still, there have been no reports of actions to hold 2^nd Lt. Rapone accountable for his bizarre behavior.  His disdainful face and words have become famous worldwide, bringing discredit to the USMA as well as himself.

The new Secretary of the Army, Mark Espy, should direct his General Counsel to intervene and insist that proper steps be taken to ensure accountability and to restore core values at the US Military Academy.

Note: Despite the controversy, on December 9 the Glee Clubs of the Naval Academy and West Point combined to sing the National Anthem in a way that put to shame people who disrespect the flag everywhere.

Additional articles of interest are here:

• Michael Lee, Family Security Matters: US Army Still Hasn't Booted Communist Soldier 
• Kurt Schlichter, TownHall, Our Broken Obama Military Can't Even Manage to Toss Out Traitors
• Daily Caller - Exclusive: Communist West Point Grad Was Reported in 2015 for Anti-American Posts 

— CMR