Biden’s Pentagon nominee puts some Democrats in a bind
By WILL WEISSERT, ROBERT BURNS and LISA MASCARO, Associated Press
Published: December 9, 2020, 10:13am
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FILE - In this Sept. 16, 2015, photo, U.S. Central Command Commander Gen. Lloyd Austin III, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. Biden will nominate retired four-star Army general Lloyd J. Austin to be secretary of defense. That's according to three people familiar with the decision who spoke on condition of anonymity because the selection hadn't been formally announced. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden’s nomination of retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin to be secretary of defense has put some Senate Democrats in a bind. In the past, they’ve opposed naming recently retired military officers to the post, yet they don’t want to be seen as blocking the first African American to lead the Pentagon.
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