Senate approves Trump’s Army pick

The Senate easily confirmed President Trump’s pick to lead the Army on Wednesday.

Senators voted 89-6 on Mark Esper’s nomination to be secretary of the Army. Democratic Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Kamala Harris (Calif.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), along with independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), opposed the nomination.

Esper was expected to easily clear the Senate after being voice voted out of the the Armed Services Committee earlier this month and senators agreed to skip over procedural hurdles that could have slowed down his nomination on the floor.

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Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) praised Esper ahead of the Senate’s vote Wednesday, noting his experience both in the military and on Capitol Hill.

“Our soldiers continue to prove their commitment, courage, skill and determination. In return, we owe them the same kind of leadership. I believe Dr. Esper will provide that leadership. I am proud to support Dr. Esper’s nomination and ask my colleagues to do the same,” McCain said.

The Trump nominee most recently worked as a vice president at Raytheon and lobbied for the defense contractor, with senators raising concerns about his ties to the industry during his hearing.

Esper made more than $1.5 million over 12 months in his job as a lobbyist for Raytheon, according to a financial disclosure he filed earlier this year with the Office of Government Ethics.

He has pledged to recuse himself from Raytheon-related matters.

Esper’s nomination was also temporarily in limbo as McCain held up Pentagon nominees over a lack of details on the administration’s plan for the war in Afghanistan.

Esper graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1986 and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel before retiring. 

His Capitol Hill experience includes serving as director of national security affairs for then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), as well as policy director for the House Armed Services Committee and a senior professional staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.