Key House Democrat pushes back on Biden picking general for defense secretary

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A prominent House Democrat who sits on the Armed Services Committee is raising concerns about President-elect Joe Biden’s expected pick for defense secretary.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA intelligence analyst who served in the war in Iraq three times under then-Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, says that choosing retired four-star Gen. Lloyd Austin to lead the Defense Department, a position traditionally reserved for civilians, “just feels off.”

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“I have deep respect for General Lloyd Austin. We worked together on Iraq when he commanded U.S. forces there, when he was vice chief of the Army, and when was the CENTCOM commander,” the moderate Democrat from Michigan wrote in a statement.

“But choosing another recently retired general to serve in a role that is designated for a civilian just feels off. The job of secretary of defense is purpose-built to ensure civilian oversight of the military,” she emphasized.

Biden's expected pick comes four years after Trump chose retired Gen. Jim Mattis as his first defense secretary. Like Mattis, Austin would require a waiver passed by both houses of Congress due to federal law that prohibits retired officers from serving as defense secretary for at least seven years after they retire from military service.

“After the last four years, civil-military relations at the Pentagon definitely need to be rebalanced. General Austin has had an incredible career — but I’ll need to understand what he and the Biden Administration plan to do to address these concerns before I can vote for his waiver,” Slotkin emphasized.

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Trump named a high number of retired generals to top civilian posts in his administration. Among them were retired Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly as homeland security secretary and later White House chief of staff, and retired Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as national security adviser. The president, while highlighting his efforts to rebuild the military during his tenure, has also been targeted by critics for politicizing the military.

Mattis was the first retired military officer to serve as defense secretary since George C. Marshall seven decades ago. While widely respected for his military record, critics noted that he surrounded himself with fellow officers at the expense of civilian leadership. Mattis resigned two years ago, in protest of Trump’s military policies.

Gen. Lloyd Austin III, commander of U.S. Central Command, prepares to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sept. 16, 2015 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Fox News confirmed on Monday night that Biden would nominate Austin as defense secretary in his incoming administration. Austin’s nomination, like all Cabinet picks, would need Senate confirmation. If confirmed by the Senate, Austin would become the first Black man to lead the Defense Department.

The two men have worked together in the past. Biden, as vice president in the Obama administration, worked with Austin when the general was commander of U.S. forces in Iraq and later as commander of CENTCOM (U.S. Central Command) from 2013 to 2016.

Austin is expected to be tapped for the secretary of defense role over Michele Flournoy, a former senior Pentagon official who had been considered a frontrunner for the position, as well as Jeh Johnson, a former Pentagon general counsel and former secretary of homeland security.

Slotkin, who was first elected in 2018 and reelected last month, represents a moderate district in southern and southeastern Michigan, including some of Detroit’s outer suburbs.

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Fox News' Mike Emanuel and Patrick Ward contributed to this report.