NEW: White House officials have talked to Veterans Affairs Sec. Wilkie about taking top Pentagon job should President Trump decide to fire Defense Sec. Esper, 3 senior administration officials say.
about taking the top Pentagon job should Trump decide to fire Esper, three senior administration officials said.
Two senior administration officials said Trump discussed the position directly with Wilkie at the White House last month. Two other senior administration officials said Wilkie had senior-level discussions with the White House about becoming Trump's next defense secretary.— a Senate-confirmed member of Trump's Cabinet — the acting defense secretary if the president fires Esper, officials said.
Wilkie was one of several possible replacements for Esper whom the White House informally interviewed this summer about serving as defense secretary, two current officials and one former official said. The conversations took place as Trump's monthslong threats to fire Esper intensified, officials said. The option of naming Wilkie as acting Pentagon chief would give Trump the flexibility to remove Esper immediately after the November election, if not before.
Two senior administration officials said Trump has not entirely ruled out the possibility of making a change in Pentagon leadership before the election, although some of the president's allies have cautioned him to wait until after. Two senior administration officials said there are no current plans for Esper to be removed before the election.Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings.
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