President Donald Trump met with candidates for four-star general positions on Wednesday as confirmation proceedings loom.

The nominees are part of Trump’s list of candidates awaiting Senate confirmation. Moreover, the Senate faces pressure to either extend its session into early August or go into full recess to confirm Trump’s appointments.

“President Trump wants our military to be the greatest and most lethal fighting force in history,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told reporters. “That’s why he is meeting personally with these four-star general candidates to ensure they are warfighters, not bureaucrats.”

According to The Hill, it is unusual for Trump to meet with military personnel nominees before they receive confirmation, but it is within the scope of the commander-in-chief’s authority. 

The Hill reported that the move has raised concerns about the politicization of top U.S. military leaders.

Retired Army Colonel Heidi Unverzagt, a professor at Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program, told The New York Times that four-star generals “are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, but they are not political appointees.”

The president’s personal interviews could make them appear to be political appointees based on personal loyalty and partisan leanings.

Some argue that the meeting will help candidates better understand Trump's vision for the U.S. military.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, tweeted on Tuesday, "A welcome reform. I’ve long argued that presidents should meet with four-star general nominees. President Trump’s most important responsibility is as commander in chief."

Cotton added that he commends Secretary of Defense Hagasse and President Trump for taking these roles seriously.

President Trump has replaced the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since taking office and has worked to eradicate 'woke' ideologies within the Department of Defense as part of an effort to reform military culture.

By USA NNP=Reporter Hong Seong-gu info@newsandpost.com