White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest this week was caught off guard by questions about the military’s ongoing ban on transgender servicemembers, despite having almost two months to prepare for the inquiry. He was similarly unprepared in October when asked the same question.
“We can look into this a little further if you like,” Earnest told a reporter from the Washington Blade after he was asked on Friday if openly transgender service is a policy that can be implemented independently of officials in charge at the Pentagon.
Last October, Earnest’s response to the same question was, “We’ll have to get back to you.”
Highlighting the administration’s indifference to a policy that forces an estimated 15,000 members of the US military into the closet, Earnest gave conflicting reports as to whether or not the Pentagon is actually looking into the possibility of lifting the ban.
In October, he mentioned an “ongoing review” at the Department of Defense.
But on Friday, reporter Chris Johnson claimed such a review might not exist. “You keep talking about an ongoing reviews, but when I ask the Pentagon about this, they say no review was ordered,” he said. “Why do you think there’s a discrepancy?”
“It’s my understanding – and maybe ill be corrected on this – but I understand there is a review ongoing at the Pentagon on this question.” Earnest responded, before exhibiting significantly more doubt. “I’ll be honest with you, I don’t know a whole lot about this review,” he admitted afterward.
Although the administration repealed the military’s discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in 2011, paving the way for openly gay and lesbian individuals to join the armed forces, a ban on openly transgender soldiers remains in place.
A commission of retired generals released a report in August saying lifting the ban on transgender service “is administratively feasible and will not be burdensome or complicated.”
“Our new report shows that implementation could proceed immediately and will be successful in its execution,” they added.
In May, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel told ABC News that “every qualified American who wants to serve our country should have an opportunity if they fit the qualifications and can do it.”
Later, the White House said they “certainly support [Hagel’s] efforts in this area.”
But Hagel is headed for the exits now. And it is a matter of doubt whether or not President Obama will still support the efforts of transgender Americans to serve openly in the military.
Clearly, for now, this civil rights issue that affects thousands of US soldiers isn’t high on the White House’s priority list.
For a more complete answer, Josh Earnest will “have to get back to you.”
Watch Friday’s exchange below, along with the strikingly similar exchange from October, courtesy Chris Johnson’s YouTube channel.
