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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsConcerns in Congress Rise Over Donald Trumps Militarizing His Cabinet
Democrats may not support the waiver necessary for Donald Trump to appoint former Marine Gen. Jim Mattis as secretary of defense, a leading voice for national security issues in Congress said Tuesday, bringing into question whether the president-elect could get the support on Capitol Hill he needs to effectively change the law.
"Personally, I like him very much, I have great respect for him. I think he very well may make an excellent secretary of defense," Rep. Adam Schiff, ranking member of the Select Committee on Intelligence, said Tuesday morning. "What may tip the balance for me is if the president-elect populates even more positions within the administration with even more military figures, I'm going to have a lot of heartburn about this."
"If he starts making these other nominations, it's going to place the Mattis waiver in real jeopardy, at least as far as Democrats are concerned," the California Democrat said while speaking at a breakfast organized by the Christian Science Monitor.
Trump has already nominated former Defense Intelligence Agency chief Mike Rogers, a retired three-star Army general fired from that position in 2014, to serve as his national security adviser. He's currently weighing at least six other former flag officers for positions in his Cabinet, including disgraced retired Army Gen. and former CIA Director David Petraeus for the post of secretary of state, and current NSA head Navy Adm. Mike Rogers, who has reportedly fallen out of favor with some of President Barack Obama's top advisers.
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