Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) said during a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing on Wednesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recent ouster of Gen. Randy George, the U.S. Army's former chief of staff, will have a chilling effect on the way the armed services operate.
Scott, who praised George as "well respected, well liked by many of us," asked Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the acting Army chief of staff, why his predecessor was removed earlier this month.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic lawmakers joined Scott in criticizing the removal of George and raised concerns about four senior Army officers being removed from a promotion list for one-star generals. Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.) praised George and his wife for dedicating their lives to serving the country and said Hegseth should not be removing officers from promotion lists "because their records have been highly vetted, highly scrutinized, and these people are qualified for the jobs."
"We look forward to hearing an explanation from Secretary Hegseth when he meets with the full House Armed Services Committee on April 29," Strickland said during the hearing.
Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.) echoed concerns about George's treatment, saying: "I've only been on committee 15 months, but he was incredibly forthright and solutions-oriented with this committee. I think the committee, Congress and the American people deserve an explanation as to how he was treated."
What the Right Is Saying
Republican Rep. Austin Scott led criticism from the right, calling the treatment of George and his wife Patty "unfair" and warning it would have a chilling effect on military operations. Scott said he would "appreciate" if Hegseth would be "forthcoming with whether or not four names were removed from the list" of promotions.
Some Republicans have rallied in support of George, whose exit came as the U.S. was actively striking military targets inside Iran.
The Pentagon, when reached for comment, pointed to a statement from chief spokesperson Sean Parnell confirming George's retirement. "The Department of War is grateful for General George's decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement," Parnell wrote on April 2.
What the Numbers Show
Gen. Randy George spent more than four decades in the U.S. Army before his ouster at Hegseth's direction earlier this month.
A Pentagon official told The Hill on Wednesday that the department has been in touch with Scott's office since George was removed. Hegseth is scheduled to meet with the full House Armed Services Committee on April 29.
LaNeve, who was Hegseth's senior military assistant at the Pentagon last year before becoming acting Army chief of staff, confirmed that the Army provided the promotion list to the secretary of War's office. He said he was "not sure" whether four officers had been split from the list.
The Bottom Line
The ouster of Gen. Randy George has drawn rare bipartisan criticism from Congress, with both Republicans and Democrats demanding answers from Hegseth about the circumstances surrounding his removal. Scott's warning of a chilling effect reflects concerns among some lawmakers about how military personnel decisions under Hegseth's leadership could impact morale and retention. The April 29 hearing before the full House Armed Services Committee is expected to provide more clarity on both George's removal and the status of the four senior Army officers whose promotions have been questioned.
The Pentagon has maintained that George retired, though critics have described his departure as a dismissal. What to watch for: whether Hegseth provides detailed explanations at the upcoming committee hearing and how the promotion list controversy resolves.