9 months ago
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A retired California National Guard general who was removed from his post has fired back against the state in a lawsuit, saying he was subjected to a hostile atmosphere of antisemitism and punished for filing a complaint about it.
Jeffrey Magram, a retired brigadier general, seeks to clear his military record and damages against the state, the National Guard, his former commanding officers and Gov. Gavin Newsom, who oversees the California Military Department, in a suit filed Jan. 24.
Magram alleges that Maj. Gen. Matthew Beevers, who was promoted by Newsom to lead the military department in May, made antisemitic comments over a two year period and retaliated against him by referring him to a disciplinary board after he submitted a complaint to the governor’s office and the inspector general, according to the suit, which was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
“MG Beevers mounted an unprecedented defamatory campaign against me, and it was supported by the Governor,” Magram said in a statement emailed Tuesday to POLITICO. “I want to make sure this never happens again.”
Magram, who reported to Beevers, was fired after an internal review that is not detailed in the lawsuit. The Los Angeles Times reported that he was removed for reasons that included improperly directing military personnel to do personal tasks and having a subordinate complete part of his cybersecurity training.
He was also suspended in 2021 and investigated by the U.S. Air Force Inspector General following complaints about his conduct, according to the Times.
The now-retired general says the review was launched after he complained about antisemitism and that Beevers also improperly interfered with the investigation.
Magram seeks $1.6 million in lost compensation and unspecified punitive damages.
The Military Department and Newsom’s office had no immediate comment on the lawsuit.
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