President Donald Trump is not expected to fire U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper in the weeks leading up to Joe Biden's inauguration, despite multiple reports indicating otherwise.
POLITICO reported Saturday that two administration officials shared the news moments after the presidential race was projected for Biden. According to POLITICO, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Armed Services Committee Chair Jim Inhofe were among top officials pressuring the White House "to not shake things up."
A White House spokesperson reportedly said Saturday that no personnel announcements were coming.
Three current defense officials told NBC News earlier this week the Secretary had prepared a letter of resignation because he was expected to be one of the Cabinet officials pushed out once election results come in. It’s a common practice for Cabinet officials and other government staff to have undated resignation letters prepared in the event the president wishes to replace them.
However, the "process usually occurs after the election results are clear."
Esper has long been at odds with the president, the latest episode seeing the Secretary in favor of stripping military bases of Confederate leaders’ names. According to NBC News, Esper provided Pentagon officials with guidance just this week about renaming ships and streets on military bases that honor Confederate leaders and generals.
The two also disagreed about the use of active duty troops in the effort to stop or minimize U.S. protests about racial injustice over the summer.