Trump urged to quickly fill Pentagon post amid Iran tensions

Now, lawmakers are ready to turn the page.

“The Pentagon and its many evolving missions require capable and steady leadership. I hope the Senate will act expeditiously when we receive the nomination of this highly qualified national security leader,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said late Friday after the White House’s announcement about Esper.

Several GOP senators indicated ahead of Trump’s announcement Friday night that they liked Esper and wanted to confirm him. Esper joined the administration in 2017 after being confirmed to lead the Army in a 89-6 vote.

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a member of the Armed Services Committee, said Friday he was “thankful” Trump was “moving quickly to fill this important post.” Still, Trump didn’t indicate on Friday when he would send Esper’s paperwork to the Senate.

Arnold Punaro, a retired Marine major general and former Senate Armed Services Committee staff director, argued that Esper can serve as acting defense secretary only until July 30 unless Trump sends up a “formal nomination” of someone else.

“Since the 210 day clock applies to the vacancy, not the individual, Sec. Esper’s clock expires on July 30, 2019—from the original January 1, 2019 date that Sec. Mattis stepped down,” Punaro wrote in a memo shared with The Hill.

Inhofe appeared confident after speaking with Trump on Thursday that he would nominate Esper. But asked about a timeline for getting a new nominee confirmed, he warned the process would take time. 

“[The nominee] would have to fill out paperwork before it could be done, then it goes to the FBI, then it comes to the nominating process, so it’s going to take a little while,” he said.

The unraveling of Shanahan’s expected nomination was the latest in a series of setbacks for Trump’s picks so far this year. Stephen Moore and Hermain Cain, who were both floated by Trump as picks for the Federal Reserve, withdrew their names from consideration after reports surfaced that raised questions about their ability to be confirmed.

Trump’s tendency to publicly name nominees before they’ve been fully vetted has become a perennial headache for lawmakers, who have urged the administration to hold off on floating an individual until after they’ve cleared background checks.

“We need to do a better job. If they had the information, they should share it,” Graham said when asked if the allegations against Shanahan should have come up sooner in the FBI’s background check.

Democrats have seized on the kerfuffle over Shanahan as the latest sign of “chaos” in the Trump administration.

“To have no secretary of Defense at this time is appalling. And it shows the chaos in this administration. They have so many empty positions rotating, revolving doors in the most sensitive of security positions,” Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the Armed Services Committee, said he wants a permanent Defense secretary “to avoid continuing turnover and turmoil.”

“And then I will talk to whoever is the permanent secretary about why the vetting process failed so deeply in this case,” he said.

Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.), the top Democrat on the panel, added it was “critical” to get a Senate-confirmed secretary but urged the administration to avoid prioritizing speed.

“I think we don’t want to cut any corners,” he added, “because that’s what seemed to happen last time.”

Rebecca Kheel contributed