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Former Maine Sen. Bill Cohen Endorses Mattis at Hearing

Ed Morin
/
Maine Public/file
Former Maine Sen. Bill Cohen at the Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast in Maine in 2014.

AUGUSTA, Maine - President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be defense secretary, retired Gen. James Mattis, was introduced and endorsed by former Maine Senator and Secretary of Defense Bill Cohen at the general's confirmation hearing Thursday morning.

“He has the nickname of  'Mad Dog' - it’s a misnomer," Cohen said. "It should be 'Braveheart' because what really characterizes Jim Mattis is his courage.”

Cohen told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee he was very impressed with Mattis as a commander during the time he served with him as defense secretary.

Cohen also told the panel Mattis has taken the time to privately visit families of those killed under his command, which Cohen says shows Mattis's true character.

 

 

 

 

President elect
Donald Trump’s choice to be Defense Secretary, retired General Jim Mattis, was
introduced and endorsed by former Maine Senator and Secretary of Defense Bill
Cohen at his confirmation hearing Thursday morning.

 

Cohen 1 “ He has
the nickname of mad dog. It’s a misnomer. It should be Braveheart because what
really characterizes Jim Mattis is his courage.”

 

Cohen praised
Mattis, telling members of the Senate Armed Services Committee he was very
impressed with Mattis as a commander during the time he served with him as
Defense Secretary. Cohen also told the panel Mattis has taken the time to
privately visit families of those killed under his command, which Cohen says
shows his true character.

 

 

Cohen 2 “ To go
to the families..to talk to the people who have lost their sons and daughters
and husbands and wives in battle under his command that tells me a lot about
who Jim Mattis is.”

 

 

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Journalist Mal Leary spearheads Maine Public's news coverage of politics and government and is based at the State House.