Rep. Brian Mast is reportedly being considered as a possible replacement for Dan Driscoll as US secretary of the Army, but the claim has already triggered a backlash from some Trump-aligned voices over the Florida Republican’s past association with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
“Ya, I’m 100% with you on that…you’re either an American or you’re not. Because he believed the US and Israel shared values including freedom, democracy and mutual respect, in his official statement on supporting Israel, Mast says he made the decision. The claim was made by independent journalist Nick Sortor on X, who said two US officials had confirmed to him that Mast was on the shortlist. The White House announced Driscoll’s departure after he spoke with President Donald Trump about the state of the Army.
You can’t be an American and loyal to any other nation,” another X user said. Mast’s own congressional office says that after his US military service, he “volunteered to serve alongside the Israel Defense Forces. Sortor then objected to the possibility, writing: “NOBODY wearing a foreign uniform should EVER take control of the US Army. The White House did not give a reason for his resignation. That criticism is not the same as evidence that Mast is actually under formal consideration by the administration. At this stage, the claim about his shortlist status comes from Sortor, who attributed it to two unnamed US officials. HT.com could not independently verify this claim .
Mast served in the US Army for more than 12 years, according to his official congressional biography .
Dan Driscoll submitted his resignation to the White House amid disagreements over Army transformation and senior military appointments, according to AP report. His military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart and Army Commendation Medal for Valor, according to the biography. The speculation comes after Driscoll resigned as Army secretary following months of tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He was deployed to Afghanistan as a bomb disposal specialist and was severely wounded by an improvised explosive device, losing both legs.
