Mark Esper's nomination to take over the Pentagon is being fast-tracked after Trump’s previous choice, Patrick Shanahan, withdrew following disclosures about a decade-old divorce.
President Trump’s nominee for Defense secretary promised to restore stability to a troubled Pentagon, but rejected criticism that his ties to a defense contractor where he formerly worked “smacks of corruption.”
“No, Senator, I will not,” said Esper, a former Army officer, after Warren pressed him to extend and broaden ethics restrictions on dealings with his former employer, which expire in November. “I went to war for this country... I think the presumption is that anyone who comes from business or the corporate world is corrupt.”
Esper could be confirmed by the full Senate this week. His nomination to take over the Pentagon is being fast-tracked after Trump’s previous choice, Patrick Shanahan, withdrew following disclosures about a decade-old divorce.
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