The Senate on Thursday confirmed Paul Ney in a 70-23 vote to be the new general counsel for the Defense Department.
Ney, of Tennessee, had last served as chief deputy attorney general of his state and was a top attorney for the Navy. He will now provide legal advice to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the Pentagon on a range of policy issues.
President Trump announced the nomination in January, and during his confirmation before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Ney said he would focus on defining laws around cyber warfare, sexual assault in the military, and detainee litigation related to the military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
Ney was also questioned by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., about whether Trump has the authority to launch a preemptive strike on North Korea. Ney said it would depend.
“I believe that the president as commander in chief and … chief executive of the nation has authority under certain circumstances to launch an attack and use our military forces against a foreign enemy,” Ney said during the February hearing.
