During his tenure, Mr. Shanahan was criticized for slighting Lockheed Martin, Boeing’s chief competitor, for its mismanagement of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, an aircraft that is years behind schedule and millions of dollars over budget. Earlier this year, the defense department’s inspector general conducted an ethics investigation into whether Mr. Shanahan “repeatedly dumped” on Boeing’s competitors, and ultimately cleared him of the allegations. Once that hurdle was removed, Mr. Trump nominated him to be the next secretary. Mr. Trump’s decision not to move ahead with Mr. Shanahan is the latest evidence of the difficulty that the president has had in permanently filling the top jobs in his administration. The president also has an acting chief of staff at the White House and an acting secretary of homeland security.

Source: New York Times June 18, 2019 17:04 UTC