WASHINGTON (Reuters) – United States President Donald Trump’s most divisive candidate for a senior Pentagon position to date is expected to face a controversial Senate nomination hearing on Thursday, and is likely Democratic lawmakers criticize him for comments they consider Islamophobic.
FILE PHOTO: The Pentagon logo is seen behind the podium in the Pentagon meeting room in Arlington, Virginia, USA, January 8, 2020. REUTERS / Al Drago / File Photo
Anthony Tata, a retired Army Brigadier General and ardent defender of Trump on Fox News, would hold the top political post in the Pentagon if confirmed.
Tata has falsely portrayed former President Barack Obama as a Muslim and accused him of being a “terrorist leader” working to benefit Iran, according to now-deleted Twitter posts seen by Reuters.
The White House said it supports Tata’s nomination to fill the position of undersecretary of defense for politics.
“Anthony Tata is a distinguished public servant whose career has brought him experience in planning, policy and operations both at home and abroad,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.
Tata did not immediately respond to a request for comment on her deleted Twitter posts.
Tata has extensive knowledge of the US military after serving for nearly three decades, including in a senior position in Afghanistan. However, current and former U.S. defense officials say he has little knowledge of Asia, at a time when Defense Secretary Mark Esper is trying to focus on competition with China.
Tata will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee, whose Democratic members have indicated they would oppose her nomination.
Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren called Tata “Trump’s most disqualified and inadequate prime defense candidate – a big bar.” She said in a statement that “an Islamophobic conspiracy theorist who called President Obama a” terrorist leader “should not be number 3 in the Pentagon.”
While Republican support for Tata is unclear, the committee’s Republican chairman, Senator Jim Inhofe, decided to move forward with a confirmation hearing. Republican Senator Kevin Cramer has said he plans to oppose Tata’s nomination unless the Pentagon makes changes to an unrelated policy issue.
Reports by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali, additional reports by Alexandra Alper; Editing by Tom Brown
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