CNN reports that Ashton Carter will be President Obama’s pick to be the next defense secretary:
Ashton Carter, the former second-in-command at the Pentagon appears to be the top choice to replace outgoing Secretary Chuck Hagel.
Barring any last minute complications, Ash Carter will be President Barack Obama’s choice as the new Secretary of Defense, several U.S. administration officials told CNN.
Bloomberg confirms:
U.S. official: Ashton Carter to be nominated as the next Secretary of Defense, via @BloombergNews
— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) December 2, 2014
Earlier, a man claiming to be Ashton Carter announced on Twitter that President Obama called to tell him he’d be nominated to be the next defense secretary. “President Obama phones me announcing his decision to appoint me as Defense Secretary. I’m honoured and happy,” read the tweet.
That account is a hoax:
UPDATE: This piece has been updated to reflect the fact that the “Ashton Carter” Twitter account is a hoax.
