Suthers: “Senator Hickenlooper suggested that it may be important for me to weigh in and relate these conversations because they do clearly show that it was [Trump’s] perspective, this was gonna be a political decision”
Colorado Springs Gazette: “Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper asked Suthers to write the letter to Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall to help some key people understand the political nature of the decision, Suthers said.”
In case you missed it, in a letter to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers gave new details of two interactions that show former-President Trump politically interfered in the decision to move Space Command Headquarters to Huntsville, Alabama. The letter, as obtained and reported by Colorado Public Radio, the Colorado Springs Gazette, Westword and others is available here.
The new details come as Washington Post journalist David Ignatius wrote in a column that, “The White House appears ready to reverse a Trump administration plan to relocate the U.S. Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Ala., because it fears the transfer would disrupt operations at a time when space is increasingly important to the military.” In his column, Ignatius also quotes an anonymous White House official stating the Biden administration agrees with military leaders that moving Space Command to Huntsville would unnecessarily interrupt readiness.
Colorado Public Radio: “Colorado Springs mayor says Trump told him he was holding Space Command decision until after the election”
“Outgoing Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers wrote to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall earlier this month to air his concern that former President Donald Trump’s decision to move Space Command Headquarters to Alabama was a political one.
This comes as the Air Force continues its review of that choice and is expected to make a final basing decision soon for Space Command Headquarters, which has been located in Colorado both in its first iteration and since its reestablishment in 2019.
‘This wasn’t a merit-based decision on President Trump’s part,’ Suthers told CPR News.
Suthers said he decided to write the letter after talking with Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper.
‘Senator Hickenlooper suggested that it may be important for me to weigh in and relate these conversations because they do clearly show that it was [Trump’s] perspective, this was gonna be a political decision,’ Suthers said, ‘because he made it very clear that he wasn’t going to decide until after the election. He wanted to see how the election came out. Nothing could be more indicative of the fact that this was gonna be a political decision than that.’
In the letter, a copy of which was obtained by CPR News, Republican Suthers relates two conversations he had with the former Republican president that led him to conclude Trump’s decision to move the headquarters ‘was a wholly political one.’”
Colorado Springs Gazette: “Colorado Springs mayor reveals new Trump statements about moving Space Command to Alabama as White House ponders reversal”
Colorado Springs’ mayor recently revealed in a letter to the secretary of the Air Force new statements former President Donald Trump made showing political motivation to move Space Command to Alabama.
In the letter sent earlier this month, Mayor John Suthers describes two conversations that provide insight into Trump’s reasoning behind moving the command in charge of space warfare, a portion of the Space Force operations, from its temporary home in Colorado Springs.
Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, asked Suthers to write the letter to Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall to help some key people understand the political nature of the decision, Suthers said.
Westword: “John Suthers Making Last Push to Keep Space Command Headquarters”
“According to Suthers, the Trump administration’s decision was largely based on politics, and in his letter, he recounted two conversations with the then-president as evidence.
The first was when Trump came to Colorado Springs to speak at the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony. ‘In the spring 2019 meeting, I was surprised to hear the President assert that, despite any process the Air Force was pursuing, he would make the decision ‘personally,’ and the only question is whether it would be before or after the 2020 election,’ Suthers wrote in his March 7 letter.”
Washington Post: Opinion: Biden moves to undo Trump’s political play on the Space Command
“The White House appears ready to reverse a Trump administration plan to relocate the U.S. Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Ala., because it fears the transfer would disrupt operations at a time when space is increasingly important to the military.
…
Senior military officials argued from the start for remaining in Colorado Springs, where the Space Command and its predecessors have been based for decades, and the Biden administration seems finally to be nearing the same conclusion. ‘We share the concerns of some military leaders about potential disruption of space operations at a critical moment for our national security,’ a White House official said this week.”
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