The months of limbo involving President Trump’s defense secretary show no sign of ending after Trump abruptly replaced the temporary office holder.
Trump accepted the resignation of acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan Tuesday, putting Secretary of the Army Mark Esper in his place. The position has been without a permanent officeholder since December, when former Defense Secretary James Mattis suddenly resigned in protest of Trump’s plans to withdraw from Syria and Afghanistan.
Shanahan’s exit comes amid reports that the FBI was investigating a domestic violence dispute between Shanahan and his ex-wife as part of its formal background investigation of the official. The switch also comes as tensions rise between the United States and Iran and as the Trump White House appears to be veering away from the president’s campaign promise to end wars in the Middle East.
Shanahan’s resignation
Trump announced Shanahan’s resignation in a tweet Tuesday, ending the months-long tenure of Mattis’ temporary replacement. The sudden news was a reversal from only days ago, when Trump was still reportedly considering Shanahan as a permanent replacement.
The abrupt decision comes after a series of reports Tuesday about domestic violence incidents involving Shanahan’s family. USA Today published a report about a 2010 dispute between Shanahan and his then-wife, in which both parties claimed the other had thrown punches. Shanahan told the paper that charges were brought against his wife but he had them dropped for the sake of his family.
In his resignation statement, Shanahan said it was “unfortunate that a painful and deeply personal family situation from long ago is being dredged up and painted in an incomplete” way and said that he would withdraw from the process.
“I would welcome the opportunity to be Secretary of Defense, but not at the expense of being a good father.”
The Washington Post published an article Tuesday about a separate incident in which Shanahan’s son was arrested after allegedly beating his mother with a baseball bat. The president alluded to the scabrous reports Tuesday, telling reporters at the White House that Shanahan was going through a “difficult time” and that he would “take some time of for family.”
Trump thanked Shanahan for a “wonderful job” as he announced his departure.
Foreign policy implications
Shanahan held the his temporarily for months after the sudden departure of James Mattis, who quit after Trump abruptly announced plans in December to withdraw the military from Syria and Afghanistan. Until as recently as last month, Trump was said to be considering Shanahan as a permanent replacement. But there were signs of stalling as the Senate Armed Services Committee, which would consider his nomination, said they were still waiting on the FBI to finish its background check.
The drama involving Shanahan comes at a particularly delicate time for Trump’s foreign policy. Months after Trump’s stalled Syria withdrawal plans, the Trump administration has danced closer and closer to conflict with Iran.
Trump has been criticized by some supporters for selecting advisers and Cabinet officials who oppose his America First agenda, especially National Security adviser John Bolton, who was said to be behind the Iran push. Shanahan worked in the defense industry at Boeing for thirty years before joining the Pentagon, making him an unlikely pick to end America’s involvement in endless foreign wars.
Esper, a former executive for defense contractor Raytheon, seems to be cut from a similar cloth. Esper has been Army Secretary since 2017.
It’s unclear if Esper will get the job permanently, but if he does, it looks like the Pentagon will remain firmly in the hands of “the swamp” for now.
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