The Navy’s top civilian and uniform ranks have been racked by turnover in recent months. Trump fired Navy Secretary Richard Spencer in November over his handling of the war crimes case of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher. Spencer’s ouster elevated Modly, the Navy undersecretary, to the top post. But Modly’s resignation set off another round of Pentagon musical chairs this week. James McPherson, a former Navy judge advocate general who was just confirmed as undersecretary of the Army on March 23, is now set to assume the acting role.
Trump formally nominated Braithwaite on March 2, but the Senate has yet to schedule his confirmation hearing amid persistent questions about his involvement with now-defunct political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. Another official nominated on the same day, Matthew Donovan, was confirmed March 23 to be undersecretary of Defense for personnel and readiness.
There were some signs of progress on Tuesday. Following Modly’s resignation, Senate Armed Services Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) called the high turnover in the top rungs of the Navy „disturbing“ and promised quick action to confirm Braithwaite.
„Once the Senate is back in session, I will make sure the Armed Services Committee considers the nomination of the next Secretary of the Navy quickly, and I ask my fellow committee members to help me expedite this nomination as well,“ Inhofe said. „Our Sailors, Marines and their families deserve to have stable, capable leadership at the helm during these challenging times.“
But the Senate is out of session until at least April 20, and a shortened election-year calendar means a much shorter window for Braithwaite to be considered and confirmed.
Inhofe has been in touch with Esper and is weighing how his panel can consider Braithwaite and other nominees amid the coronavirus pandemic that’s ground most formal business on Capitol Hill to a halt.
„At this point, no decisions have yet been made regarding timing or format for upcoming nomination hearings, but all options are being discussed,“ Senate Armed Services spokesperson Marta Hernandez told POLITICO. She noted that quickly confirming DoD inspector general nominee Jason Abend will also be a top priority for Inhofe.
„Senator Inhofe has been in contact with the Department of Defense and specifically Secretary Esper on all nominations before the committee to ensure they are processed as quickly as possible while also mitigating health risks to the maximum extent,“ Hernandez added.
Both Senate and House Armed Services committees have struggled with conducting oversight under procedural and technical hurdles during the pandemic. While both panels have held conference calls with Pentagon officials on the department’s coronavirus response, neither has held a formal hearing since March.
Committee rules require Senate Armed Services hearings to be held only in Washington, D.C., unless the majority of the full committee or a subcommittee votes to hold it elsewhere. The rules also require a majority of the committee to be present to send a nomination or legislation to the full Senate.
„Per Senate rules, the committee must meet in person to vote out nominations, and the Senate must be in session for the Committee to report the nomination to the floor,“ Hernandez said. „To ensure the most effective response to the pandemic, the nominations for the next Secretary of the Navy as well as the Department of Defense Inspector General will be one of the Committee’s top priorities when the Senate returns.“
Even if the committee can hold a hearing remotely, a smooth confirmation for Braithwaite is far from a lock.
Trump first announced he’d nominate the ambassador for the post shortly after Spencer’s firing on Nov. 24. But Braithwaite’s nomination remained in limbo for months and the White House didn’t formally nominate him until March.
In the intervening months, doubts about his viability swirled following a CBS News report that Braithwaite failed to disclose a contract with Cambridge Analytica when nominated as ambassador to Norway. The firm shuttered in 2018 following revelations that the company had improperly harvested the personal data of millions of Facebook users to target voters for the Trump campaign ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Braithwaite contends he never had a formal contract with the company. POLITICO reported in February that his claim has satisfied Senate Armed Services leadership.
But the former defense official noted that before Modly’s resignation, some Democrats still had questions about Braithwaite’s involvement with the company. That may have changed since Modly stepped down, the person said.
Another challenge is that Congress is busy responding to the coronavirus outbreak that is spreading across the nation. It’s not clear lawmakers can fit a DoD confirmation hearing into their packed schedules.
“I don’t think the Hill knows how to do that right now,” said a second defense official.
Source: politico.com
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