Mark Esper headed for quick confirmation for head of Defense Department after acing largely bipartisan Senate hearing by Jamie McIntyre
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/mark-esper-headed-for-quick-confirmation-after-acing-largely-bipartisan-senate-hearing
Mark Esper, President Trump’s fallback nominee to head the Defense Department, did everything he needed to do yesterday to win quick and easy confirmation. With one notable exception (more on that below), he cruised effortlessly through his 2 hour, 45 minute hearing before the Armed Services Committee, telling the senators just what they wanted to hear, reassuring them he would work on their concerns, and generally showing a deep understanding of the issues facing the U.S. military.
For the most part the hearing was a bipartisan lovefest, beginning with the introduction of the nominee by Democratic former vice presidential candidate Sen. Tim Kaine, who compared Esper to Jim Mattis, the widely-respected previous defense secretary, who resigned last December over policy differences with the president.
“Most of us were very discouraged by the resignation of Secretary Mattis. And what we’ve hoped for is a successor who could show the same level of candor and principle and a willingness to remain independent even in the most challenging circumstances,” Kaine said at the start of the hearing. “I believe that Dr. Esper has those traits.”
IN THE MOLD OF MATTIS: Though lacking Mattis’ résumé as a decorated general and legendary commander, Esper does have a solid military background, having spent 10 years on active duty and another 11 years in the Guard. During the 1991 Persian Gulf War, he served as an infantry officer with the Army’s 101st Airborne Division.
And while Esper was not exactly a protégé of Mattis, he has adopted his positions, including Mattis’s three “lines of effort” to move the Pentagon into the 21st century, namely to build a more lethal force, strengthen alliances, and reform the Pentagon to free up resources.
Michigan Democrat Gary Peters asked Esper point-blank, “Would you be a secretary of defense with views more aligned with Secretary Mattis or more aligned with President Trump?”
“I don’t know where to pick between the two,” Esper said, “but clearly I shared Secretary Mattis’ views and I’ve expressed that publicly.” Pressed by Peters about whether he might also consider resigning on principle if asked to support a policy counter to his values, Esper said, “Absolutely,” adding “In the Army, I grew up with this view that you’re asked to do anything that is illegal, or immoral, or unethical, then that would be the point at which you have to consider resignation and you’d be willing to do that.”
WARREN’S CRUSADE: The one tense part of the hearing came when Massachusetts Democrat and presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren began aggressively grilling Esper on one of her pet issues. Warren has proposed legislation to tighten the rules designed to avoid conflict of interests when members of the administration come from, or move to, private industry.
Warren pressed Esper repeatedly to agree to voluntarily extend the period in which he is required to recuse himself from matters affecting his prior employer, Raytheon, from two years to the rest of his term. And she wanted a promise he would never ask for a waiver that is provided for under law in extreme circumstances. Both go beyond current ethics requirements.
But it was Warren’s prosecutorial tone, demanding yes-or-no answers and refusing to let Esper give nuanced answers, that rubbed a lot of her colleagues the wrong way.
Committee chairman Jim Inhofe had to intervene to allow Esper to answer Warren’s question, and he later apologized for the exchange, which he called “unfair.” Democrat Joe Manchin also expressed consternation, telling Esper: “I hope you realize that this is part of this process.”
“I’m very disappointed that Sen. Warren would demonize you after you decades of service simply because you served in the private sector,” said Rick Scott, a Florida Republican. “There’s a lot of us who have been in the private sector and that doesn’t take anything away from our ability to do our job. I guess she just needed a moment for her presidential campaign,” Scott said.
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