NEW YORK: US President Donald Trump has lashed out at retired General Stanley McChrystal with a string of personal attacks after the former commander of American operations in Afghanistan called the president immoral and dishonest.
In a New Year’s Day post to Twitter, Trump said retired Gen. (rtd) McChrystal is “known for [a] big, dumb mouth” and that he “got fired like a dog by former President Barack Obama.”
The president identified McChrystal as a “general,” apparently deriding the former military leader by placing his title in quotes, and called him a “Hillary lover.”
Trump’s criticism of McChrystal came after the retired general said on ABC-TV news show “This Week” that the president is immoral and does not tell the truth.
“If we want to be governed by someone we wouldn’t do a business deal with because their — their background is so shady, if we’re willing to do that, then that’s in conflict with who I think we are. And so I think it’s necessary at those times to take a stand,” the retired general said.
McChrystal also said the president’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria would lead to instability in the region.
“If you pull American influence out, you’re likely to have greater instability, and of course it’ll be much more difficult for the United States to try to push events in any direction,” he told ABC News.
McChrystal rose to public prominence as a military officer during the Obama administration, which tasked the four-star Army general with leading U.S. forces in Afghanistan
McChrystal resigned in 2010 amid the publication of a Rolling Stone magazine article in which he and aides made comments critical of Obama administration officials, including Vice President Joe Biden.
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