The Biden administration has asked 18 members of military service advisory boards, including 11 officials appointed by former President Trump, to resign or be fired, the White House confirmed Wednesday.
Why it matters: The officials include prominent former Trump advisors — like former counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway and former press secretary Sean Spicer who were appointed to Air Force Academy and Naval Academy boards respectively — just before the former president left office.
- Other officials include former national security adviser H.R. McMaster on the West Point board, former Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought on the Naval Academy's board and former White House liaison to the Justice Department Heidi Stirrup.
What she's saying: "The president's objective ... was to ensure you have nominees and people serving on these boards who are qualified to serve on them and who are aligned with our core values," press secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing Wednesday.
- "I will let others evaluate whether they think Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer and others were qualified, or not political, to serve on these boards."
Be smart: The boards' duties are "to inquire into the state of morale and discipline, the curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, academic methods, and other matters relating to the academy which the Board decides to consider."...
- The president appoints six of each boards' 15 members — all of whom Biden has now asked to