Who is Michael J Coffey? Army probes West Point officer who slammed Trump and other GOP leaders on Twitter
On Thursday, January 21, it was reported that the US Army launched an investigation after the unmasking of a supposedly semi-anonymous Twitter account the command sergeant major of West Point Military Academy allegedly used to criticize elected officials and former President Donald Trump. As per reports, this action violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
In response to a tweet from Vice President Kamala Harris, a now-defunct Twitter account with the handle @mjcoff02 going by “Michael J” posted on Inauguration Day: “As a service member with 28 years active duty and multiple combat deployments, I spent every day wondering what my Commander in Chief would do to me and my unit. I have not slept well for the last 4 years. I’m sleeping soundly tonight.”
“West Point takes all allegations of impropriety seriously and will conduct a thorough investigation into this matter,” Army Lt. Col. Christopher Ophardt, Director of Public Affairs and Communications at the U.S. Military Academy, told the Daily Caller, a right-wing news and opinion website.
Who is Command Sergeant Major Michael J Coffey?
Coffey, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, used his Twitter account to often criticize Trump, Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz, former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Ohio GOP Representative Jim Jordan. As per his official biography on the West Point website, Coffey enlisted as an Infantryman in the Army in January of 1994.
His previous assignments include the 75th Ranger Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry, and 4th Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. His most recent assignments include CSM 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry, CSM 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, CSM Operations Group, National Training Center, and CSM 3rd Infantry Division.
Among his listed missions were Operation Uphold Democracy, a military intervention designed to remove the military regime installed by the 1991 Haitian coup d'état that overthrew the elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide; Operation Iraqi Freedom; Operation Enduring Freedom, the official name used by the U.S. government for the Global War on Terrorism, and more.
Coffey’s awards and decorations is a long list and include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NATO Medal, and many more. In a profile of Coffey published on the US Army website in September 2020, Coffey stated, “I believe in doing the right things the right way. If you communicate, if you’re present and you’re a team player, you can get through almost anything and you will be a valued member of the team.”
“We have to make sure that everyone is a part of a squad, that they are not alone and that someone is there for them. This is a crucial element on how we combat racism, extremism, sexual harassment, assault, and suicide,” he said, adding, “I am also always responsible for the members of my squad which includes the Supe, the Chief, the XO, aides, civilian secretaries, etc... what I’m really armed with now is greater empathy for what our Soldiers are going through during COVID. A Soldier will not have to convince me about their issues because I have been through it. The truest power of the noncommissioned officer is that we have the experience. We’ve been through it all.”