Senator John McCain on Thursday threatened to delay the Lockheed Martin executive in line for the Pentagon‘s top policy job after the nominee avoided questions on future conflicts of interest, The Hill reports.
Nominee John Rood, up to be the next undersecretary of defense for policy, would not confirm to Senator Elizabeth Warren that he would not seek a waiver which would allow him to participate in matters involving Lockheed Martin in his new role.
Rood has signed a White House ethics pledge to exempt himself from all decisions involving Lockheed for two years and divest himself from the defense contractor, The Hill adds. However, ethics laws in place allow him to apply for a waiver from that recusal, to possibly be involved in policy discussions that include the sale of Lockheed products to foreign countries.
“Will you commit not to seek such a waiver during your time in office?” Warren asked during a Senate Armed Services hearing.
“I suggest you answer the question or you’re going to have trouble getting through this committee,” McCain, who is the committee’s chairman, warned, after Rood again declined to say yes or no.
McCain added that he would give Rood the question in writing “because, obviously, you are ducking the answer here.” The Arizona senator has repeatedly criticized the Trump administration’s heavy use of defense industry executives as Pentagon nominees.
“One of my major concerns has been the big five defense companies and the rotating back and forth between government and business and this is, kind of, a classic example of why we deserve straightforward answers,” McCain said during the hearing.
The White House last month named Rood to the top Pentagon policy position, as he served in several roles under the George W. Bush administration, including acting undersecretary of State for arms control and international security, The Hill notes.
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