WASHINGTON — Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), a combat veteran and member of the House Armed Services Committee, took to social media Monday to sound the alarm over what he described as a deliberate dismantling of America’s military leadership, posting a stark warning following a Wall Street Journal report detailing the forced exit of one of the Army’s most decorated generals.
“Firing experienced military generals makes us less safe,” Crow wrote on X on Monday, June 29, 2026. “Trump & Hegseth are jeopardizing America’s national security.”
The post, which linked to the Wall Street Journal’s reporting on the ouster of Gen. Chris Donahue, encapsulates what has become a sustained and increasingly pointed campaign by the Colorado congressman against the national security decisions of the Trump administration and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — a campaign that has grown louder with each new dismissal, controversy, and casualty.
The General at the Center of the Controversy
The Wall Street Journal report that prompted Crow’s post details the abrupt departure of Gen. Chris Donahue from his role as Army commander in Europe — a four-star command that was downgraded to three stars as part of Hegseth’s broader goal of cutting the general and flag officer corps by 10% overall, and four-star positions by 20%.
Donahue’s résumé is among the most impressive in the modern U.S. Army. He led Delta Force commandos in Iraq and Syria during operations against the Islamic State, served as the last U.S. soldier to leave Afghanistan during the 2021 Kabul evacuation, spearheaded the 2014 capture of the Libyan extremist behind the Benghazi attack that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens, and helped Ukrainians plan their successful 2022 counteroffensives against Russian forces. He also helped the Army evaluate and plan for battlefield lessons emerging from the conflict in Ukraine.
According to the Journal, Donahue was forced to submit retirement papers at the Pentagon’s request, despite private lobbying from lawmakers and Army officials to give him a new four-star assignment. Because he has not yet completed the three years of required service at his current rank, he is expected to retire as a three-star general unless he receives a special presidential waiver — a decision that now rests with Hegseth.
Republicans and Democrats Alike Question the Move
The decision to remove Donahue mid-assignment — rather than waiting for the natural end of his tour — has drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told the Journal the move was “really unfortunate, and it makes no sense,” noting that Donahue had played a pivotal role in applying lessons from the Ukraine conflict to U.S. strategy.
Even Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) weighed in. “I’ve known CD for a long time. All the way back to when he was down at Fort Bragg,” Tillis said of Donahue. “It’s horrible optics to junior officers that secretaries of defense can play games at this level.”
The Journal also reported that Hegseth’s personnel decisions are being driven in part by a small circle of senior advisers — including his chief of staff, a retired Marine colonel, and his personal lawyer Tim Parlatore — who informally evaluate officers based on subjective factors including loyalty to the president and past associations with diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
A Pattern Crow Has Been Documenting for Months
Monday’s post is far from the first time Crow has gone on record against what he describes as the Trump administration’s reckless handling of military leadership and national security. The Colorado Democrat, a former Army Ranger and paratrooper who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has spent 2026 building a documented case — statement by statement, hearing by hearing — that the administration is prioritizing political loyalty over battlefield experience.
In May, Crow confronted Hegseth directly during a House Armed Services Committee hearing over the role of Tim Parlatore, whom Hegseth commissioned as a Navy Reserve commander in March 2025 — bypassing both White House vetting and Senate confirmation. Crow pressed Hegseth on whether Parlatore represents foreign governments in his private law practice and whether officers up for promotion are among his clients. Hegseth deflected repeatedly. “You’re trying to piece together a timeline,” Hegseth told Crow, who responded that the secretary’s evasiveness was exactly the point.
In April, Crow joined 12 other House Democratic veterans in demanding a formal investigation into the deaths of six U.S. servicemembers killed in a drone attack in Kuwait on March 1, 2026 — accusing Hegseth of misleading the public about the circumstances of the attack. “President Trump’s reckless decision to start a war with Iran has claimed the lives of American servicemembers and injured hundreds more,” Crow said in a statement at the time. “The Commander in Chief launched a war of choice with no plan, no strategy, and no end game.”
The letter to Hegseth cited testimony from injured servicemembers who directly contradicted the Pentagon’s description of the attack site as a “fortified” position. One servicemember said the unit “was unprepared to provide any defense for itself. It was not a fortified position.” Another, asked what drone defenses were in place, replied: “I would put it in the ‘none’ category, from a drone defense capability… none.”
Crow’s Escalating Confrontation With the Administration
Crow’s criticism of the administration has not been limited to personnel decisions. On June 21, appearing on CBS News’ Face the Nation, Crow stated bluntly that he does not believe Trump prioritizes Americans’ safety, saying the president “has shown very clearly over the years his willingness to weaponize national defense, the military, the intelligence community, the Department of Justice against his enemies to score political points at the jeopardy of American citizens.”
That same interview touched on Hegseth’s announcement of a six-month review of U.S. force posture in Europe and threats to reduce American contributions to NATO. Crow warned that the administration would face significant bipartisan resistance on Capitol Hill, noting that the Armed Services Committee had already moved, in a strongly bipartisan manner, to block troop withdrawals from Europe without congressional sign-off.
In May, Crow also appeared on Face the Nation to address Hegseth’s order to withdraw a U.S. brigade from Germany — a move that prompted objections from both Republican chairs of the House and Senate Armed Services committees for failing to coordinate with Congress. Crow said that Trump appeared to be “making really consequential troop movement decisions based upon being upset by the comments of a foreign leader, which is no way to run a foreign policy.”
A Congressman With Skin in the Game
Crow’s willingness to engage the administration so aggressively is rooted in personal experience. The Colorado congressman served three combat deployments — in Iraq and Afghanistan — and was once a platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division, the same unit called in to secure Kabul airport during the 2021 evacuation that Donahue oversaw. That background informs what Crow frames not as political opposition but as a military professional’s assessment of catastrophic leadership failures.
His June 21 remarks on Face the Nation made that personal dimension explicit: Crow noted that the administration had attempted to imprison him earlier in the year “simply because I told soldiers that they have to follow the law and obey their oaths.”
The firing of Donahue follows a string of high-profile Army dismissals under Hegseth. In April, the defense secretary ousted Gen. Randy George as Army chief of staff and fired Gen. David Hodne from his post as the four-star head of the Army Transformation and Training Command. The Journal also reported that Hegseth’s broader personnel campaign has resulted in dozens of blocked promotions across the armed services, many involving female and Black officers — a fact that has rattled officers throughout the ranks who fear retaliation for holding the wrong political views.
For Crow, Monday’s post was the latest entry in what has become a sustained public indictment of the administration’s defense leadership — one built not on partisan talking points, he argues, but on the observable record of what happens when experience gets sidelined for loyalty.