Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan withdraws nomination

President Donald Trump took to Twitter Tuesday afternoon to announce his pick to fill the secretary of defense cabinet position has decided not to pursue the seat permanently.

Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan has withdrawn his name from consideration and will end his confirmation process.

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Army Secretary Mark Esper will now take over for Shanahan,  Trump said on social media.

Trump had nominated Shanahan back in May to take over the position permanently, Cox Media Group's Jamie Dupree reported.

The announcement came after news of an alleged domestic dispute from 2010 that involved his wife at the time. The dispute came out during an FBI background investigation, USA Today reported.

In a statement released by Shanahan prior to Trump's announcement, the now-former acting secretary said the investigation dredged up a "deeply personal family situation from long ago," according to USA Today.

Shanahan took over the cabinet position in January. Prior to that, he was the deputy secretary of defense since 2017.

Prior to being named the deputy secretary of defense, Shanahan was Boeing senior vice president and oversaw supply chain and operations. He worked for the aerospace company for more than 30 years. He also the vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense systems and Boeing Rotorcraft Systems that oversaw the development of the Apache, Chinook and Osprey military helicopters.

Shanahan's final day will be Friday, Fox News reported.

Credit: AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File

Credit: AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File

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