President Donald Trump has announced via Twitter that his Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan will be stepping down from that role, and will not move forward with his nomination process.
Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, who has done a wonderful job, has decided not to go forward with his confirmation process so that he can devote more time to his family….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2019
The tweeted announcement comes just hours after a USA Today article that explained the FBI was “examining a violent domestic dispute from nine years ago between acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and his then-wife as part of a background investigation.”
According to the article in 2010, Shanahan and his then-wife, had been drinking, argued, that argument spilled out onto their front yard, leading to the police being called, Shanahan had a bloody nose, his wife had blood on her forearm.
It’s worth noting that both parties deny all of the charges levied against them in 2010.
In a statement late Monday, Shanahan maintained that he never “laid a hand on his then-wife” Kimberly in 2010, he says it’s unfortunate that less than two years after his confirmation as Deputy Defense Secretary that this “painful and deeply personal family situation from long ago is being dredged up and painted in an incomplete and therefore misleading way as a result of this nomination process.”
USA Today explains that Shanahan has been Acting Secretary of Defense since January, the longest “period the Pentagon has been led by a temporary chief.”
They go on to say that while Senators were aware that Shanahan faced a messy divorce “they were not fully aware of the incident when Shanahan was confirmed for the No. 2 position; and the Senate should have the opportunity to assess whether he was the aggressor or victim and how that could affect his ability to lead the armed forces.”
President Trump has named Mark Esper as the new Acting Secretary of Defense.
….I thank Pat for his outstanding service and will be naming Secretary of the Army, Mark Esper, to be the new Acting Secretary of Defense. I know Mark, and have no doubt he will do a fantastic job!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2019
CNN reports that while on May 9th, President Trump announced his intention to officially nominate Shanahan none of the paperwork necessary to start the confirmation hearings had been filed.
