In a shock announcement on Tuesday, President Trump tweeted that he has named Army Secretary Mark Esper to be his new acting defense secretary, and that the current acting secretary, Patrick Shanahan, “has decided not to go forward with his confirmation process” to hold the role permanently amid explosive revelations about his turbulent 2015 divorce.
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,” Trump tweeted. “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!”
The sudden move comes after months of speculation surrounding Shanahan’s nomination. The White House announced in May that Trump intended to nominate him to hold the position left vacant after Jim Mattis’s protest resignation and subsequent firing in December.
But the White House never sent the formal paperwork necessary to kickstart Shanahan’s confirmation to the Senate, and rumors have circulated Washington that Trump was getting cold feet — or that there was something holding up Shanahan’s background check.
It was not immediately clear when Shanahan would hand over the reins to Esper. On Tuesday afternoon, Esper was returning from a senior Army leader meeting in Maryland to meet with Shanahan at the Pentagon later in the day, a defense official told Defense One.
In interviews with The Washington Post on Monday and Tuesday, Shanahan publicly detailed the circumstances of his divorce, which cour ..
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