The big picture: Retired Lt. Gen. Gary Volesky, a former top Army spokesman, responded to a Biden tweet that said women’s rights had been stolen in the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“For nearly 50 years, women have had the right to make our own decisions about our bodies. Today, that right has been taken away from us,” Biden tweeted. “Glad to see you finally know what a woman is,” Volesky said.
Details: Lt. Gen. Theodore Martin, commander of the Combined Arms Center, has suspended Volesky while the investigation is ongoing, Cynthia Smith, an Army spokeswoman, told USA Today.
Volesky, who commanded the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, was contracted after he retired to advise active-duty officers as a senior mentor.
Between the lines: Volesky’s response is a breach of decorum for a retired military man, USA Today writes.
It’s an unusual step into partisan politics by a Pentagon-paid official, especially since the department typically avoids such matters. Gen. Mark Miley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was a “mistake” to appear in June 2020 with then-President Trump in Lafayette Square. “My presence at that time and in that environment created a perception of the military being involved in domestic politics,” he said in a video message several days later. After the January 6 uprising, Milley and the other Joint Chiefs sent a memorandum reminding the troops of their oath to the Constitution.
Flashback: Volesky was responding to a tweet from Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) when she announced she would be on the Jan. 6 select committee and that their “oath to the Constitution must transcend partisan politics.”
“This is all about partisan politics,” Volesky said.
