Trump Will Tap Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan To Head Pentagon

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 26: Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan testifies during a House Armed Services Committee hearing regarding the fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Budget Request from the ... WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 26: Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan testifies during a House Armed Services Committee hearing regarding the fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Budget Request from the Department of Defense, March 26, 2019 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump has asked for a Pentagon budget of over 700 billion dollars for the 2020 budget. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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President Trump will nominate Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan to permanently lead the Defense Department, the White House announced in a statement Thursday.

The decision was “based upon his outstanding service to the country and his demonstrated ability to lead,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in the statement.

Shanahan — a Trump loyalist who has ties to Boeing — was tapped to lead the department on an interim basis after former Secretary Jim Mattis resigned in December.

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