Acting Secretary of State Patrick Shanahan’s FBI background check is reportedly slowing his confirmation process, also dredging up details of a domestic violence dispute with his ex-wife which resulted in her arrest.
The Senate Armed Services Committee initially had his confirmation hearing planned for Tuesday, June 18. It has been postponed to July 11, according to Yahoo News. It is not clear that the domestic violence episode in particular is slowing the FBI background process.
Shanahan begged off questions about the incident via a spokesperson.
“Before his divorce, Pat Shanahan’s ex-wife was arrested and charged for domestic violence. Shanahan asked for the charges to be dropped for the sake of his family and asks that this remain a private matter,” the spokesperson told Yahoo.
Shanahan still has not been formally nominated, and rumors are flying that President Donald Trump may be growing cold on his choice.