McCain threatens to block Shanahan

The confirmation hearing for Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive under consideration to become the next deputy defense secretary, got off to a rocky start today when Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) threatened to block his path if he continued to "duck" questions on the threat posed by Russia.

McCain began the hearing by criticizing Shanahan for providing "unsatisfactory" written answers to the committee on the question of providing lethal assistance to Ukraine.

Shanahan wrote he would need to study the issue further, though at the hearing he said he supports providing lethal weapons to Ukraine to repel Russian-backed separatists.

"Not a good beginning, not a good beginning," McCain said. "Do not do that again, Mr. Shanahan, or I will not take your name up for a vote before this committee. Am I perfectly clear?"

Shanahan said he was "very clear."

But Shanahan ran afoul of McCain moments later when, in McCain's words, he "ducked" questions regarding the U.S. response to Russia's alleged violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

"Mr. Shanahan, you're not making me happy," McCain said. "I'm not going to sit here and watch you duck every question and expect everything to go smoothly. It's not."

For his part, Shanahan said he understands McCain's position and agrees with the senator that Russia has taken "adversarial" actions to disrupt U.S. interests.

McCain also said he is concerned about Shanahan's past experience as a former executive who spent three decades at Boeing.

"Ninety percent of defense spending is in the hands of five corporations, of which you represent one," he said. "I have to have confidence that the fox is not going to be put back into the hen house. . . . That's not what our founding fathers had in mind."

Shanahan has promised to divest his Boeing stock and recuse himself from matters in which Boeing is a party, unless authorized.

Check out his prepared testimony as well as answers to advance policy questions.