Senate Confirms Mark Esper as Secretary of Defense

The Senate confirmed acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper to lead the Pentagon permanently in a 90-8 vote on Tuesday. According to The New York Times, the vote ends the longest period of time the Defense Department has gone without a permanent leader. Esper, a former lobbyist at defense contractor Raytheon, will replace former Secretary Jim Mattis—who submitted his resignation letter late last year following disagreements over Trump’s Syria policy. Patrick Shanahan, who was named acting defense secretary following Mattis’ departure, withdrew his nomination last month after a domestic violence accusation surfaced.