Washington, December 22 (RHC)-- U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis announced he will resign at the end of February, while publicly rebuking Donald Trump’s foreign policy.  His resignation comes one day after Trump ordered the withdrawal of all 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria and half the troops -- that’s 7,000 troops  -- from Afghanistan.

In his resignation letter, the four-star general implicitly criticized Donald Trump’s foreign policy.  Mattis wrote: “My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues.  We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.”  In the letter, Mattis did not make a direct reference to Syria, but he did call out Russia and China.

Much of the Washington establishment expressed shock over Mattis’s resignation.  Trump first said that Mattis was retiring. But when the letter came out that Mattis wrote, it was clear he was resigning over Trump’s foreign policy.