WASHINGTON — The Senate has confirmed a new commander of U.S. military forces in the Pacific after Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville objections and allowed for a quick vote on the nomination.
Tuberville had blocked the nomination of Lt. Gen. Ronald Clark for months over concerns that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s top military adviser, along with other staffers, did not immediately brief President Joe Biden when Austin was hospitalized earlier this year with complications from cancer treatment.
Clark, whom Biden nominated in July, was confirmed late Tuesday night. Tuberville said Wednesday he had resigned from his position after meeting with Clark and talking to others in the Pentagon.
Tuberville had initially requested a report from the Pentagon’s inspector general, who would investigate the matter, but that report has not yet been released and Congress is leaving Washington until after the November elections.
“I didn’t want to leave him hanging, so I asked him to come over and we talked for about an hour,” Tuberville said. Clark’s explanation matched that of others he had talked to, “so I trusted him and what he told me,” Tuberville said.
Earlier this year, Austin and his top advisers grew frustrated after it became clear that Biden was being kept in the dark about the Minister of Defense has not been in charge for days during his hospital visit in January. Lawmakers argued that this could mean confusion or delays in military action.
Austin was admitted to intensive care on January 1 with complications from prostate cancer surgery, but the White House did not learn until three days later. Austin’s senior staff was notified on January 2.
Tuberville said he still has concerns about the situation and how it came about, but after speaking with Clark, he believes he was not primarily responsible for the misstep.
“We did have problems there, but it wasn’t his problem,” Tuberville said.
Austin said at the time that he took full responsibility and had apologized to Biden. He insisted there were no gaps in control of the department or the nation’s security because “at all times, I or the deputy secretary was in a position to carry out the duties of my office.”
An earlier Pentagon investigation into the matter found that the secrecy was due to privacy concerns and staff hesitation, and called for better procedures, which have since been implemented.
A hold by a senator on a nomination, or on a piece of legislation, blocks a quick unanimous consent vote. Democrats could have brought the nomination to a vote, and bypassed the hold, but it would have taken several days of floor time to do so. A vote would not have been scheduled until after the November elections.
The objections to Clark came a year after Tuberville blocked hundreds of military promotions over Pentagon abortion policies. The Alabama senator held up the nominations for months but relented after facing fierce criticism from senators of both parties. The Senate ultimately approved 425 military promotions and nominations in november.
Republican colleagues said they agreed with Tuberville on abortion policy, but openly pressured him to drop the gripswhich raised concerns about the readiness of the military and the impact this was having on service members and their families who had nothing to do with the regulations.