Ex-Trump Army nominee: Dem threatened to ‘blackball’ me

President Trump’s former nominee for Army secretary said he withdrew his name from consideration last month because he was blackballed by a senator, The Tennessee Star reported.

Tennessee state Sen. Mark Green (R) told the news outlet a lone Democratic senator, whom he declined to name, promised to use a procedural “blackball” to prevent Green’s nomination from moving to a vote. 

{mosads}Green said he chose to withdraw his name from the nomination process because he believed the hold placed on his nomination could have remained in place for months or longer, leaving the Army without its top civilian post and delaying important policy-making decisions.

“The thought that the president would not have his chosen appointee on the ground leading the Army and that our soldiers would be left without a secretary who could advocate for them and secure the resources they need to do their jobs safely and successfully, shifted the process from being about the needs of the Army to being about me,” Green told the Star.

The former Army Ranger and special operations medic withdrew his name from consideration for secretary in early May amid fierce opposition from Democrats and advocacy groups. 

At the time, Green blamed liberals for “false and misleading attacks” against him and said he was stepping aside so as not to be a distraction.

He stirred intense controversy over past comments about the LGBT community, Muslims, Latinos, birth control, evolution and the Second Amendment, among other issues. 

Green told the Star the liberal media “simply made stuff up.”