Trump taps 'Mad Dog' Mattis for defense secretaryWASHINGTON -- US President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he has picked the tough-talking retired general James Mattis to be his defense secretary as he soaked up adulation at a buoyant Ohio rally that recalled this year's rough-and-tumble campaign. "We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our secretary of defense," Trump told cheering supporters in Cincinnati, referring by nickname to the retired four-star Marine general who headed the US Central Command, with authority over US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mattis will require both Senate confirmation and a special waiver of a law that bans uniformed military officers from serving as secretary of defense for seven years after leaving active duty. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, praised Mattis' "knowledge, experience and leadership" but also expressed concerns about the precedent being set. Trump lamented the roadblocks surrounding the venue, which he said had depressed attendance.

Source: The China Post December 02, 2016 06:35 UTC