White House announces Trump intends to nominate Army Secretary Mark Esper for defense secretary

Mark Esper.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The White House announced on Friday evening that President Trump will nominate Army Secretary Mark Esper to fill the role of defense secretary.

The announcement comes three days after the resignation of Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan who was in line for the full-time position until reports surfaced about his contentious divorce and multiple domestic violence incidents in his family.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.