{"id":219416,"date":"2019-06-18T22:49:50","date_gmt":"2019-06-19T02:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=219416"},"modified":"2019-06-18T22:49:50","modified_gmt":"2019-06-19T02:49:50","slug":"shanahan-drops-bid-to-lead-pentagon-citing-painful-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2019\/06\/18\/shanahan-drops-bid-to-lead-pentagon-citing-painful-past\/","title":{"rendered":"Shanahan drops bid to lead Pentagon, citing ‘painful’ past"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FILE: Many thanks to @IISS_org for a great opportunity to discuss our shared goal of a free and open Indo-Pacific at #SLD19. (Photo<\/a>: @ActingSecDef\/Twitter<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan stepped down Tuesday before his formal nomination ever went to the Senate, citing a \u201cpainful\u201d family situation that would hurt his children and reopen \u201cwounds we have worked years to heal.\u201d<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump announced Shanahan’s departure in a tweet, and said Army Secretary Mark Esper would be the new acting Pentagon chief.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe my continuing in the confirmation process would force my three children to relive a traumatic chapter in our family’s life and reopen wounds we have worked years to heal,\u201d Shanahan said in a statement. \u201cUltimately, their safety and well-being is my highest priority.\u201d<\/p>\n

His withdrawal from one of the most critical positions in the government comes at a time of escalating tensions in the Middle East, a day after the U.S. authorized sending additional troops to the region, and after months of unexplained delays in the confirmation process.<\/p>\n

The acting defence secretary did not provide specifics, but court records show a volatile family history around the time of his 2011 divorce. The couple had been married since 1986.<\/p>\n

His ex-wife, Kimberley, was arrested several times on charges that included burglary, property damage and assault. The assault charge was a misdemeanour for domestic violence in August 2010 when, according to police records, she hit Shanahan a number of times, giving him a bloody nose and black eye. The police report said she was not injured, and he was not charged.<\/p>\n

There was also a separate November 2011 incident in which the couple’s son, who was 17 at the time, struck his mother with a baseball bat in the home where he lived with her in Sarasota, Florida, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to battery and was sentenced to four years of probation.<\/p>\n

In an interview with The Washington Post shortly before Trump announced that Shanahan was withdrawing his nomination, Shanahan spoke about the circumstances surrounding his 2011 divorce and said he didn’t want to drag his children through the experience again.<\/p>\n

\u201cBad things can happen to good families … and this is a tragedy, really,\u201d Shanahan told the Post.<\/p>\n

In his statement, Shanahan said he asked to be withdrawn from the nomination process and would work on an \u201cappropriate transition.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Pentagon, in a statement, said Esper will take over the job at midnight Sunday. Esper and Shanahan met at length Tuesday to begin transition planning.<\/p>\n

In his tweet, Trump simply said Shanahan had done \u201ca wonderful job\u201d but would step aside to \u201cdevote more time to his family.\u201d Later, Trump told reporters at the White House that he heard about the problems for the first time Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn’t ask him to withdraw, but he walked in this morning,\u201d said Trump. \u201cHe said it’s going to be a rough time for him because of obviously what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

In noting Esper’s move, Trump added, \u201cI know Mark, and have no doubt he will do a fantastic job!\u201d He said it’s \u201cmost likely\u201d he will nominate Esper for the job \u201cpretty soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post atop the Pentagon has not been filled permanently since retired Gen. James Mattis abruptly stepped down in December after delivering a blunt letter to Trump outlining a list of foreign policy differences and a warning that the administration should not allow relations with allies to fray.<\/p>\n

Shanahan was put in place as acting secretary, but it wasn’t until May that Trump announced he would nominate Shanahan. That formal nomination has never come, inexplicably delaying the Senate process.<\/p>\n

On Capitol Hill, the Shanahan news was met with mixed reactions.<\/p>\n

Top Democrats said his sudden withdrawal underscores the shortcomings of White House vetting for key Trump administration jobs.<\/p>\n

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that \u201cthis Shanahan fiasco\u201d shows that the administration’s national security policy is \u201ca shambles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senators said they were largely unaware of allegations involving Shanahan’s family situation when he was confirmed as deputy defence secretary in 2017.<\/p>\n

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal raised the possibility that Shanahan deliberately concealed the domestic problems, and he called for an investigation by the Defence Department’s inspector general. Shanahan, he said, \u201chad an obligation to reveal it himself. This is potentially a violation of law.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump defended the vetting process, calling it \u201cgreat,\u201d and said the Shanahan issues were \u201cvery unfortunate,\u201d and they \u201ccame up a little bit over the last short period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sen. James Inhofe, the Oklahoma Republican who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Trump called him about Shanahan on Tuesday. The president didn’t offer any specifics, Inhofe said, but mentioned \u201callegations that would be very uncomfortable and really not worth making sacrifices for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, has been leading the Pentagon as acting secretary since Jan. 1, a highly unusual arrangement for arguably the most sensitive Cabinet position.<\/p>\n

His prospects for confirmation have been spotty due in large part to questions about his lengthy work as former Boeing executive and persistent questions about possible conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n

The Defence Department’s Inspector General cleared Shanahan of any wrongdoing in connection with accusations he had shown favouritism toward Boeing during his time as deputy defence secretary, while disparaging Boeing competitors.<\/p>\n

In Shanahan’s tenure at the department he’s had to deal with a wide array of international hotspots, ranging from missile launches by North Korea to the sudden shift of military ships and aircraft to the Middle East to deal with potential threats from Iran.<\/p>\n

Shanahan, 56, had extensive of experience in the defence industry but little in government. In more than six months as the acting secretary, he emphasized a shift from the resources and tactics required to fight small wars against extremist groups to what Shanahan called \u201cgreat power\u201d competition with China and Russia.<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n

Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Matthew Daly in Washington; Gene Johnson in Seattle; and Curt Anderson in Miami contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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