Trump nominee gets new Pentagon post, despite snub by Congress

US President Donald Trump’s most divisive nominee for a Pentagon position has been given a less-senior policy role at the Defense Department, a spokeswoman says.

Retired army general Anthony Tata, nominated to become the undersecretary of defense for policy at the Pentagon, will officially perform the duties of the deputy undersecretary of defense for policy after failing to secure a Senate confirmation hearing.

Nevertheless, Tata, in theory, would still have some influence on hot-button Pentagon policy matters, potentially those pertaining to Iran.

Tata accused former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama of engaging in "borderline treasonous" behavior, during the transition period, by expressing their dismay over a Trump presidency.

He called Obama a “Muslim" and “a terrorist leader.”

Tata has also described Congresswoman Maxine Waters, an African American, as a “race-baiting racist,” according to now-deleted Twitter posts Reuters has seen.

Democratic Congressman Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, slammed the move to give Tata a senior job days after the Republican-led Senate abruptly canceled his confirmation hearing.

“If an appointee cannot gain the support of the Senate, as is clearly the case with Tata, then the President should not put that person into an identical temporary role,” Smith said in a statement.

“This evasion of scrutiny makes our government less accountable and prioritizes loyalty over competence.”

The new position is more junior than the one the president initially nominated Tata for, however, the White House asserted Friday that Trump still supported him, despite the Senate declining to take up his nomination.

To secure his new role, the retired general had to overcome two bureaucratic hurdles. He first withdrew himself from consideration by the Senate for the job Trump originally wanted and then accepted the more provisional status of simply “performing the duties of” the deputy.

Smith said the Pentagon was having difficulty under a record number of vacancies, with senior positions filled in provisional capacities.

“If confirmations cannot be completed, the president must find new, qualified people who can win the support of the Senate,” he said.

The Pentagon says Tata formerly served as a senior adviser there in Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s office, but his exact responsibilities remained unclear.