Politico reports:
President Donald Trump has installed a nominee for a top Pentagon job in a senior Department of Defense post on a temporary basis after lawmakers abruptly canceled his confirmation hearing last week amid lingering questions about his fitness for the role.
Retired Army Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata, a novelist, former state government official and Fox News regular, withdrew Sunday from consideration to be undersecretary of defense for policy, a position that requires Senate confirmation, the Pentagon said in a statement emailed to POLITICO Sunday.
Since Trump announced his intent to nominate Tata earlier this year, the former Army general has been widely criticized for tweets calling former President Barack Obama a “terrorist leader” and referring to Islam as the “most oppressive violent religion I know of,” among other controversial statements.
Anthony Tata: Controversial Pentagon nominee placed into position after nomination failed – CNNPolitics
Trump makes mockery of Senate oversight. @EsperDoD and GOP accepts. I never want to hear anyone say GOP is a legitimate Nat Sec party again. https://t.co/hG2WfAvahg
— Jon “Wear a Mask “Wolfsthal (@JBWolfsthal) August 2, 2020
Retired general Anthony Tata has just been appointed to the Trump administration in a position that won’t require confirmation.
His nomination to be undersecretary of defense for policy hit the skids as it became clear that he didn’t have enough votes. https://t.co/uB4xT3Txds
— Dan Lamothe (@DanLamothe) August 2, 2020
Anthony Tata, the anti-Muslim Trump nominee shunned by GOP senators, has been given a similar Pentagon job that doesn’t need confirmation https://t.co/rQnM6y3qSd
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) August 3, 2020