A long, unexplained delay has cast doubt over the nomination of Patrick M. Shanahan to head the Defense Department and has fueled rumors that President Trump may be having second thoughts about his pick.
More than a month after the acting Pentagon chief was publicly tapped for the permanent position, lawmakers are frustrated that they’ve yet to receive formal nomination paperwork. Congressional sources tell The Washington Times they’re eager to move the nomination process along as quickly as possible and are set to begin confirmation proceedings in short order as soon as the White House upholds its end of the bargain.
It’s highly unusual for a Cabinet nomination process unfold so slowly, especially for such a high-profile post. Lawmakers have publicly and privately pressed the White House to act quickly, stressing that Mr. Shanahan — a former Boeing executive who has served in a temporary capacity since Jan. 1 — lacks authority dealing with his counterparts abroad in his current status. Confirming him as the permanent defense secretary, they argue, is the only way to fix that.
The ordeal also is hardening the resolve of Democrats and giving them more time to make a public case against Mr. Shanahan. Some Democrats argue the nominee should be disqualified because of his decades-long career in the defense industry.
“I have no idea what the White House is doing, but Shanahan should not be confirmed as secretary,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat and 2020 presidential hopeful, said in an interview.
Rumors that Mr. Trump may drop Mr. Shanahan gained steam after an NBC News report earlier this week that claimed the president was asking White House aides whether he should go in a different direction at the Pentagon. In a rare display of independence, Mr. Shanahan recently sharply criticized a purported White House request to keep the USS John S. McCain out of the president sight during a recent trip to Japan.
The NBC story claimed Mr. Trump was canvassing aides on other choices and that Army Secretary Mark Esper was under consideration.
Mr. Esper would not address the issue on Thursday.
“I have no comment on any of that,” he told The Times immediately after a speech to defense industry leaders in Arlington, Virginia. “I’m very privileged and pleased to be the Army secretary.”
Key lawmakers have suggested the delays have little to do with Mr. Trump changing his mind and instead boil down to bureaucracy.
Sen. James Inhofe, Oklahoma Republican and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told The Hill on Wednesday that the FBI has yet to complete its background check of Mr. Shanahan.
He denied media reports this week that the president was rethinking the nomination.
“It’s just a phony report that the president’s going soft on this. He’s not. I talked to him as recently as yesterday, and he’s still committed on Shanahan,” Mr. Inhofe said.
He added that it’s likely to be “another week” before the White House sends over the formal nomination paperwork. Further delay will likely push confirmation hearings into next month at the earliest, meaning it’s likely Mr. Shanahan will have served in an acting capacity for more than 6 months before his nomination is put up for a full Senate vote.
Mr. Shanahan told CNN this week that he’s confident the background check will soon be completed and his nomination will move forward, though he offered no concrete time frame and did not address speculation that his name could be pulled from consideration.
“I’m in contact with the White House. We’re done with our paperwork, expect to have the process completed here shortly,” he said.
Ironically, the slow process seems to have surprised even the president. Earlier this week, he told reporters that the White House’s job is done despite the fact that the Senate has yet to receive a formal nomination.
“It’s done from the standpoint of the nomination,” Mr. Trump said. “Pat Shanahan was nominated … I put it out officially. Now he has to go through the process.”
It’s unclear exactly why an FBI background check into Mr. Shanahan would take so long. He underwent extensive reviews before being confirmed as assistant secretary of defense in July 2017.
Mr. Shanahan served in the assistant role until Jan. 1. He took over as acting Pentagon chief following the resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis, who stepped down amid deep disagreements with the White House over a decision to pull American troops from Syria.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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