Republican lawmakers are publicly splitting over War Secretary Pete Hegseth's decision to remove Gen. Chris Donahue, with some accusing him of purging respected military leaders and others defending the Pentagon's authority to make personnel decisions, according to The Hill.
Donahue will relinquish his command of U.S. Army Europe and Africa on Thursday.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., offered the strongest rebuke, accusing Hegseth of putting political loyalty ahead of military leadership.
"Strong leaders are not threatened by accomplished commanders. Weak ones are," Tillis wrote Thursday on X.
"His paranoid micromanagement of senior military leaders and promotion lists is pure insecurity dressed up as reform."
Tillis, who said he's familiar with Donahue's service during his time in North Carolina, said Hegseth's actions were harming the War Department.
"This is not reinvigorating the warrior ethos. This is not a leader prioritizing merit. It's sophomoric. It's unserious," Tillis wrote. "Our military deserves steady, serious civilian leadership. Right now, it's getting the opposite."
Several House Republicans also questioned the decision in comments to The Hill.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, former chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the outlet that Donahue is "a very good" man and said he was puzzled by the dismissal.
"I don't understand why Mr. Hegseth is firing him, and as a result, we're going to lose a very talented general from the Pentagon," McCaul told reporters.
Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, described Donahue as "a great leader" and said he had "mad respect" for the four-star general, though he said he did not know the circumstances surrounding the decision.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a retired Air Force brigadier general who has criticized other Pentagon personnel decisions, told The Hill that lawmakers are troubled when senior military leaders are dismissed without explanation.
"We have probably about 20 generals and admirals [who] have been fired for no reason," he said. "It's not decent when you fire people with no explanation."
Others defended Hegseth's authority or said they lacked enough information to judge the move.
Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., another Armed Services Committee member, told The Hill he would not presume the Pentagon acted improperly, saying military leaders have historically been likelier to reassign senior officers than remove them outright.
Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, praised Donahue as "one of the studs of the United States Army," but noted that four-star generals "serve at the pleasure of the president."
Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, likewise said the decision ultimately rests with Hegseth and President Donald Trump.