Patrick Shanahan will not be the next US Secretary of Defense. The one who was acting in this post announced Tuesday, June 18, he renounced to be confirmed at the head of the Pentagon. According to USA Today, the FBI is investigating domestic violence between Patrick Shanahan and his ex-wife nine years ago.
"It is unfortunate to see exhumation of an old and painful family situation, moreover eminently personal," said Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, in a statement, without saying when he would step down at the Pentagon.
This decision was announced by Donald Trump on Twitter. The President also indicated that the current Secretary of the Army, Mark Esper, would be appointed Acting Secretary of Defense.
I would like to thank the Secretary of the Army, Mark Esper, for 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, 2019The longest period without a Defense Secretary confirmed
Shanahan was to be auditioned by the Senate before being confirmed at the head of the Pentagon, when information on domestic violence emerged, the FBI conducting research on its past before the hearing.
According to USA Today, Patrick Shanahan said he had "never raised his hand" on his ex-wife. Yet, the newspaper recalls, each of the former spouses claims to have been hit by the other.
The Washington Post reports a particularly serious incident, in which Patrick Shanahan's teenage son allegedly beat his mother - Shanahan's ex-wife - with a baseball bat, leaving her unconscious. bathed in a pool of blood.
"Bad things can happen in good families, and it's a tragedy, really," said Patrick Shanahan, quoted this week by The Washington Post. He added that the disclosure of this incident "would ruin the life of [his] son".
Shanahan's decision promises to make things even longer, which is already the longest period without a confirmed Defense Secretary.
The former Boeing executive had no previous national security experience when he was appointed as the right-hand man for then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis. Shanahan has been acting head of the Pentagon since Mattis resigned in late 2018, due to disagreements with Donald Trump over Syria.
With Reuters