With no alternatives, lawmakers prepare to settle for Shanahan at Pentagon

By Michael Warren and Jamie Gangel, CNN
Updated 1854 GMT (0254 HKT) April 12, 2019

Washington (CNN) — Acting Defense secretary Patrick Shanahan remains President Donald Trump's top pick to be the permanent head of the Pentagon, say multiple sources in Congress and the administration. But with questions about whether he will make the cut, the administration is left with a daunting question: Does anyone actually want the job?

Several Republicans on Capitol Hill tell CNN they're concerned about Shanahan's ability to get through Senate confirmation. There's also a fear over a lack of willing alternatives for one of the most difficult Cabinet jobs. "It's hard to find someone to take it," one senior Republican in Congress has told CNN.

Shanahan is under investigation by the Pentagon's inspector general over possible ethics violations. A Boeing employee for more than three decades before joining the Pentagon in 2017 as Deputy Defense Secretary under then Defense Secretary James Mattis, Shanahan has been accused by a federal watchdog group of promoting his former company and disparaging its competitors internally.

Even before the investigation began last month, delaying Shanahan's anticipated nomination for the permanent position, Republicans on the Hill were concerned about his fitness for the job. "He has not impressed anybody on the Hill," said one Republican congressional aide said of Shanahan. "I've not heard a single person defend this pick."

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