Rep. Lee and Pocan to Biden: Do Not Pick a Defense Secretary Beholden to Military Contractors

In a letter to President-Elect Joe Biden,  U.S. House Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Mark Pocan (D-WI) request Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Defense have no prior employment history with military contractors.

Top contenders for the job include former Pentagon advisor Michele Flournoy, on the board of Booz Allen Hamilton, a consultant for military contractors, and former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Jonson, on the board of military contractor Lockheed Martin. Another candidate under consideration is Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-ILL), a double amputee Iraq veteran who voted to end US military support for the Saudi war on Yemen.

The letter from Lee and Pocan reads, “We strongly encourage you to reject the nominations of the Trump era; and, again, commit to appointing Secretaries of Defense with no previous ties to defense contractors.”