'Delicate dance': This 'reliable' Trump 'ally' is 'quietly emerging as the Pentagon’s unlikely foil'

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) is far from a Never Trumper, voting to confirm President Donald Trump's most controversial appointees — including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, FBI Director Kash Patel and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard. Democrats were hoping that Wicker would resist putting Hegseth in charge of the Pentagon, but the only GOP senators who voted against him were Kentucky's Mitch McConnell, Maine's Susan Collins and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski.

In an article published on April 17, however, Politico's Connor O'Brien stresses that Wicker is not automatically rubber-stamping MAGA positions on national security or foreign policy.

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"Sen. Roger Wicker, the high-profile Armed Services Committee chair, has proven a reliable ally to President Donald Trump by shepherding through his most controversial Defense Department choices and unabashedly praising many of his decisions," O'Brien explains. "But even as he provides support, Wicker is quietly emerging as the Pentagon's unlikely foil. And it seems to be working."

The Politico reporter continues, "The Mississippi Republican, in recent months, has swatted down a potential withdrawal of U.S. troops from Europe (others now warn against it); criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for undercutting Ukraine in peace talks (a rare public shaming of a top Trump official); and sought an investigation into officials' use of Signal to discuss military operations in Yemen (the Pentagon's inspector general has since launched a probe). Wicker's actions — unusual from a top lawmaker in any administration — are especially rare under Trump, who now wields unfettered influence over the GOP."

Nonetheless, O'Brien observes, Wicker "has made himself integral to Trump's agenda."

"Wicker's delicate dance reflects how traditional GOP defense hawks are learning to navigate the (Trump) Administration's isolationist moves while trying to achieve their own more traditional agendas," O'Brien notes. "The approach could give fellow Republicans a model as they strive to balance dissenting ideologies with a president who demands ultimate loyalty."

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A GOP senator, interviewed on condition of anonymity, told Politico, "(Wicker) has put himself in a very powerful place…. The Pentagon, the White House need him."

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Read Politico's full article at this link.