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| James Mattis (Image: Wiki Commons) |
By: Leo Shane III
Defense secretary nominee James Mattis on Wednesday abruptly canceled a planned hearing before the House Armed Services Committee this week, potentially complicating his confirmation process.
Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to oversee the Pentagon, is scheduled to testify at his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday morning. But he was also scheduled to head across Capitol Hill and talk to House members later in the day, an unusual but not unprecedented appearance before both chambers.
On Wednesday, officials from Trump’s transition team told committee staff Mattis would not attend the second hearing.
Trump transition spokeswoman Alleigh Marre said that Mattis' focus on Thursday is "following the Constitutional process for confirmation by the U.S. Senate and testifying at his confirmation hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee."
But she added that "if confirmed, he looks forward to working with both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, which play critical roles in supporting our forces and ensuring civilian control of the military."
The cancellation complicates an already unusual nomination process for Mattis, a popular figure in military circles and on Capitol Hill.
Read the full story at Military Times