Graham Denies Threatening To Make Esper’s Life ‘Hell’ If He Cuts AFRICOM Troops – By Katie Bo Williams (Defense One) / Feb 18 2020
“No, I never said that,” Graham said in a brief phone call with Defense One. “It was a good conversation.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., denied a report that he threatened to make Mark Esper’s life “hell” if the defense secretary proceeds with rumored plans to cut U.S. troops from West Africa and the Sahel region.
“No, I never said that,” Graham said in a brief phone call with Defense One. “It was a good conversation.”
But the senator said he did push back on any potential cuts.
According to Graham, Esper told him that he is still working on a force posture review for the region; no decision has apparently been made to cut troops. Graham urged him to maintain the smaller U.S. presence in the west, where French counterterrorism troops are the primary force fighting terror groups such as ISIS-West Africa and Boko Haram.
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