Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan says he’s withdrawn from contention to become the permanent Pentagon chief because he does not want to force his three children to “relive a traumatic chapter in our family’s life and reopen wounds we have worked years to heal.”
“I would welcome the opportunity to be Secretary of Defense, but not at the expense of being a good father,” Shanahan said in a statement Tuesday.
Rather than his “painful” family history, he said, “The confirmation process should focus on securing our nation against threats, readiness and the future of our military, and ensuring the highest quality care and support for service members and their families.”
The Shanahan family’s domestic violence troubles were revealed Tuesday in two articles published before Shanahan withdrew from consideration. A Washington Post story described a November 2011 incident in which Shanahan’s son William attacked his mother, Kimberley Jordinson, with a baseball bat. The bloody assault left her with a fractured skull and internal injuries requiring surgery, according to the report.
In a separate incident, Shanahan and Jordinson both told police they had been hit by the other during a dispute on Aug. 28, 2010. Police charged Jordinson with assault, though Shanahan had the charge dropped “in the interest of my family.” Shanahan denied Jordinson’s allegations and said he “never laid a hand” on her. He filed for divorce shortly after the incident.
“Our story is not dissimilar to those of the many families facing the difficult challenges that come when a loved one struggles with substance abuse and other emotional issues as is the case with my former-wife,” Shanahan said in a separate statement Monday night. “I wish nothing but the best for her and regret that my children’s privacy has been violated and they are being forced to relive a tragic situation that we have worked so hard as a family to put behind us.”
Shanahan, 56, leaves his post as the longest-serving acting secretary of defense in Pentagon history after taking over for former Secretary James Mattis on Jan. 1. Trump said in April he planned to name Shanahan the permanent replacement, but he never sent the nomination to the Senate.
Secretary of the Army Mark Esper, 56, will replace Shanahan as acting secretary of defense, President Trump announced via Twitter Tuesday. A Pentagon spokesman could not provide Esper’s start date, but Shanahan’s statement said he would help “coordinate an appropriate transition plan to ensure the men and women in harm’s way receive all the support they need to continue protecting our great nation.”
