Trump's team blocks U.S. House appearance by Pentagon pick Mattis: officials [View all]
Source: Reuters
11 JAN 2017 AT 17:54 ET
U.S. President-elect Donald Trumps team has canceled an appearance before Congress by his nominee for defense secretary, retired General James Mattis, regarding a waiver he needs for the post, congressional officials said on Wednesday.
The U.S. House of Representatives had been due to hear Mattis testify on Thursday and he had agreed to appear. Mattis, who retired from the Marine Corps in 2013, is technically ineligible to be defense secretary since he has not been a civilian for at least seven years. That means Congress would need to grant a waiver, something it has not done since 1950.
House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer said it was his understanding the Trump transition team had blocked Mattis from testifying. Congressional aides also confirmed that Mattis had agreed to testify but the appearance had been blocked.
The decision appeared to be part of an effort to keep the attention on Mattis confirmation hearing in the Senate, which is scheduled for earlier on Thursday.
Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/trumps-team-blocks-u-s-house-appearance-by-pentagon-pick-mattis-officials/
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