In a Feb. 12 conference call, former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jacob Meister and Iraq War veteran Trevor Montgomery questioned Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk regarding why he does not think “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) should be repealed, according to a press release.
Montgomery said, “As someone who has served my country on the front lines in Iraq, I can honestly say it’s clear that Mark Kirk is out of touch with what’s in the best interest of our national security. No soldier should have to lie about who they are in order to serve our country. At a time when we need all of the talent and resources we can get to defend our country, shame on Mark Kirk for choosing politics over the right thing to do.”
Meister, who is openly gay, added, “This policy weakens our national security and Mark Kirk and John McCain are clearly not listening to the military leaders who all agree that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is not working.”
Current Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias, Meister and Montgomery agreed with recent statements from former Secretary of State Colin Powell and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, who said that DADT should be repealed.