The Army took no action against Maj. Gen. Patrick Donahoe and allowed him to retire Sunday, ending a controversy after the service began an investigation into the armor officer’s conduct online following posts in which he took a stance against Fox News’ Tucker Carlson’s disparaging comments about female soldiers…

Donahoe’s planned July retirement had been put on hold over the investigation into his behavior on Twitter, where he regularly engaged with soldiers — often issuing encouraging words of support, part of a growing trend of Army officials using social media to have more regular exchanges with troops…

Donahoe’s online engagement jumped into the spotlight after a public spat with Carlson. The pundit aired a segment in March 2021 heavily criticizing the Army for allowing women to serve, especially while pregnant, saying that the U.S. military is becoming “more feminine” as China’s military “becomes more masculine.”

In a rebuke, Donahoe tweeted a video of himself reenlisting a female noncommissioned officer, saying that the Fox News host “couldn’t be more wrong” about women in the service. That sentiment was shared by key service leaders including Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston and Gen. Paul Funk, who at the time was the head of Training and Doctrine Command, in addition to top-ranking officials in other branches.