Biden To Name Gen. Lloyd Austin As Defense Secretary

Politico reports:

Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin, once viewed as a long-shot candidate to be President-elect Joe Biden’s defense secretary, has been chosen to lead the Pentagon, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions.

The decision comes two weeks after Biden announced the other senior members of his national security team.

In recent days, Austin, the former commander of U.S. Central Command, had emerged as a top-tier candidate, although Biden also considered former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson for the job, several people familiar with the discussions said.

SCOOP: It’s done—Biden has selected Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin to lead the Pentagon, and will announce his nomination tomorrow. w/@laraseligman @tylerpager @connorobrienNH https://t.co/PidjAhC9AQ

— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) December 7, 2020