Trump Nominates Esper as Next Defense Secretary

“President Trump plans to nominate Mark Esper, the secretary of the Army and former West Point classmate of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to be the next defense secretary,” the New York Times reports.

“They said that Mr. Trump would send the nomination to lawmakers on Capitol Hill in the next few days.”

Associated Press: “Meanwhile, inside the Pentagon, lawyers are debating how to get Esper through what will be a difficult legal and Congressional confirmation process… Law prohibits Esper from being nominated for the job while also serving as the acting secretary… And anyone chosen to fill in temporarily — even for a short time while the confirmation process goes on — will have limited authorities and won’t have all of the decision-making power that a defense secretary needs when his nation is at war in several countries and conducting major military operations in dozens of others.”