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Mattis once called potential Trump appointee 'a commander who watched too many Hollywood movies
Retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis (Chris Kleponis/AFP/Getty Images)

Mattis once called potential Trump appointee 'a commander who watched too many Hollywood movies

Retired Army Lt. Col. and former Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) is interested in a position in President-elect Donald Trump's administration, but it doesn't appear retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, Trump's pick for secretary of defense, is a big fan.

West is meeting with Trump Monday and sat down last week with Vice President-elect Mike Pence and Army Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, Trump's pick for national security adviser, along with K.T. McFarland, the president-elect's choice for deputy national security adviser.

Should West be chosen by Trump, he likely would serve in a role that puts him in the same chain of command as Mattis, who has apparently disliked the former congressman since 2003.

Mattis criticized West after he was rebuked for firing a weapon just shy of a prisoner's head while he was performing an interrogation as an artillery battalion commander in Iraq in 2003, according to Roll Call.

As he was preparing documents before his Marines deployed to Iraq, Mattis described West's case as "commander who has lost his moral balance or has watched too many Hollywood movies," according to author Thomas Ricks' 2006 book, "Fiasco."

After the incident, West was not court-martialed, but he did pay a $5,000 fine and retired from the military.

In a post on his website, West praised Trump's choice of Mattis, calling the general a "Marine's Marine and a man’s man."

West made headlines over the weekend for posting a meme to his Facebook page that called on the incoming secretary of defense to "exterminate" Muslims.

The post has since been deleted and Allen staffer Michele Hickford has taken the blame for the incendiary meme.

"Last night I posted a meme without Col. West's knowledge or consent, which was inappropriate and crossed the line," she wrote in a follow-up Facebook post. "I take full responsibility for this. It was wrong. I was wrong. It does not reflect Col. West's beliefs."

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