Secretary of Defense James Mattis is not pontificating about the NFL protests—at least not in front of inquisitive reporters.
While traveling to India on Monday, Mattis had a period of media availability during which a reporter asked him about the NFL football protests. The Washington Examiner's Travis J. Tritten tweeted about a transcribed interaction afterwards, showing that Mattis took the question as an opportunity to remind the reporter of what the secretary of defense's job is.
"I'm the secretary of defense," Mattis said. "We defend the country."
Reporter: Do you have anything to say about the NFL?
SEC. MATTIS: I'm the secretary of defense. We defend the country.— Travis J. Tritten (@Travis_Tritten) September 25, 2017
Mattis has generally not been pulled into hot-button political issues, instead focusing on his work at the Department of Defense. He has also become known for his quips.
Asked on CBS what keeps him awake at night, Mattis replied in May, "Nothing, I keep other people awake at night."
The latest straightforward remark comes in addition to many other moments of inspirational leadership from the revered Marine.
