In a purge of hundreds of members of the Pentagon's policy advisory boards this Monday by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, numerous last-minute Trump administration nominees as well as officials appointed by previous administrations were given the boot, the Wall Street Journal reports.
"By removing members, effective Feb. 16, Mr. Austin avoided selectively firing those appointed by the Trump administration. The defense chief also ordered a review of the least 42 boards to be completed by June, defense officials said," WSJ reports. "Mr. Austin believed 'this was the most fair, most equitable way' to address questions about the boards, a defense official said in a briefing with reporters."
As the report points out, Austin's move was signaled last week when he suspended the onboarding process for Trump administration nominees to Pentagon advisory boards, "effectively preventing them from being seated."
Read the full report over at The Wall Street Journal.