US Secretary of Defense Esper may resign

  According to a report by the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) on November 5, news from three current Defense Department officials showed that the Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has prepared a letter of resignation.

  NBC stated that it is not uncommon for cabinet ministers to prepare undated resignation letters during the presidential transition period, which gives the president the opportunity to replace them.

The president decides whether to accept his resignation, and this process usually occurs after the election results are clear.

But officials from the Department of Defense said Esper was preparing to write his resignation letter because he was one of the officials who had long expected to be expelled from the cabinet after the election.

  According to multiple media reports in August, US President Trump had privately discussed with his advisers the possibility of replacing Defense Secretary Esper after the November election.

Trump and Esper disagree on many issues. A person familiar with the matter said at the time that the two of them were "not in harmony", but Trump did not plan to take action against Esper before the November 3 election.

  At present, Esper is helping members of Congress draft legislation aimed at removing the names of Confederate leaders who advocated slavery during the American Civil War from military bases, a move that may cause him to further conflict with Trump.

(CCTV reporter Gu Xiang)