One of those that condemned Trump's action was Adam Smith, a Democrat and Representative of Washington and the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said: “President Trump’s decision to fire Secretary Esper out of spite is not just childish, it’s also reckless. It has long been clear that President Trump cares about loyalty above all else, often at the expense of competence, and during a period of presidential transition, competence in government is of the utmost importance.”