Letter: Why did Sen. Lee reject Gen. Austin but confirm Gen. Mattis?

Sen. Mike Lee, one of only two  senators to vote against confirmation of Gen. Lloyd Austin as Secretary of Defense, cited his belief that the 7-year hiatus between active military duty and civilian leadership of the Department of Defense should be maintained.Yet he voted to approve Gen. James Mattis for the same position under comparable circumstances. Was it differences in the content of the character or the color of the skin of the two nominees that changed Sen. Lee’s votes?Matthew