nothing like this, though, tonight with patrick shanahan. as "the washington post" went to press with the fruits of that interview today, the president announced that patrick shanahan's defense secretary nomination was being pulled. the story that made that happen and the lead reporter who got that interview is going to join us next. stay with us. us s >>> so this was the first national news report on the subject this morning in "usa today." "the fbi has been examining a violent domestic dispute from nine years ago between acting defense secretary patrick shanahan and his then wife as part of a background investigation ahead of his possible confirmation hearing to be president trump's permanent defense chief." that was this morning in "usa today." then this afternoon in "the washington post," this is how we knew it was all over for patrick shanahan as trump's nominee to be secretary of defense. and i know this is, you know, just the latest trump cabinet official or nominee to blow up in scandal, but this one is definitely different. i will w

it's opposite of how shanahan came into the senate. therwere a lot of questions about shanahan, particularly from inhofe. would you describe him as someone with humility. hofe publicly said no, he did not see shanahan with someone heth humility. as gotten on borted shanahan nomination. here is the awkward position. today inhofe wasth asked i shanahan nomination moving forward, she said yes to a reporter. three minutes later the president called him and said it was off. >> woodruff: these things turning so quickly. what are they saying about the white house vetting prcess? >> that's right. there are a lot of questions about the white house and the f.b.i.'s role, as well as wha information has or would have gone to congress. questions, there are about the difficulties for the military here. the president may say that the position of acting gives him flexibility, but for senators, including inhofe, they say acting actually erhodesth ity in the military and nhat no act secretary is see overseas as someone in charge. we've now been without

nothing like this, though, tonight with patrick shanahan. as "the washington post" went to press with the fruits of that interview today, the president announced that patrick shanahan's defense secretary nomination was being pulled. the story that made that happen and the lead reporter who got that interview is going to join us next. stay with us. since my dvt blood clot i was thinking... could there be another around the corner? or could it turn out differently? i wanted to help protect myself. my doctor recommended eliquis. eliquis is proven to treat and help prevent another dvt or pe blood clot... almost 98 percent of patients on eliquis didn't experience another. ...and eliquis has significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. eliquis is fda approved and has both. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right

of domestic violence leaving shanahan with what he called no other choice i believe my continuing in the confirmation process would force my 3 children to relive a traumatic chapter in our family's life and reopen wounds we have worked years to heal ultimately their safety and well being is my highest priority. according to the washington post police arrested shanahan's wife for punching him in the face in 201-2011 shanahan son was arrested and charged for fracturing his mother's skull with a baseball bat the president long criticized for not vetting his top advisers called shanahan's departure regrettable i had heard about it yesterday for the 1st time i didn't know about it i heard about it yesterday it is it's. very unfortunate but senators didn't know any of this when they confirmed shanahan for deputy defense secretary in 27 teams and in light of the military's ongoing problems with sexual assault and domestic violence some congressional staffers say giving shanahan the top job permanently would have been difficult the new acting secretary current army secretary mark asper whom

and shanahan had given some interviews. he talked about it, issued this statement last night, apparently when he came in today, he decided that he just wanted to step out of the public limelight and that's what he's done. again, for the troops, things will go on. policies will be set, decisions will be made, but it's no small thing not to have a secretary of defense in the united states. and one can only assume the white house sees the urgency of getting the situation resolved. >> indeed, barbara, thank you so much. >> gloria, thank you for your insight. >>> the news of shanahan's depart sure coming as mike pompeo is in central command. saying the president does not want war with iran. outgoing defense secretary patrick shanahan saying the troops will be in the region for defensive purposes to address air, naval and ground based threats. this is coming after that attack on two containers. hillary manlevert is an expert. why america must accept the islamic republic of iran. thanks for joining us. >> thank you. >> can we read

that is secondary to the idea that shanahan knew this was there. why this stuff doesn't come out in vetting continues to be a mystery. >> why put the administration in that position? >> esper, by the way, being named as acting defense secretary, which again does not necessarily mean this is the person donald trump wants to be the next defense secretary. he was a senior executive at raytheon so has been involved in the defense industry as well which often happens. we'll continue to get you more information on that as it develops. >>> we're following another big story as well. the markets. take a look at where they are right now. this upward movement 1.3% and relatively stead ail day. about 340 points right now. comes on the heels of a trump tweet about, quote, a very good conversation with president xi of china, adding we will have an extended meeting next week at the g20 in japan. our respective teams will begin talks prior to our meeting. you remember last week, stephanie, donald trump saying, i'm not sure i'm going to meet xi in g20 and basically

shanahan's son attacked his own mother with a baseball bat. shanahan strongly defended his then 17-year-old son arguing in a memo two weeks later that the teen was defending himself. shanna happen told the post he later regretted that memo and that the self-defense claim was false. >> an administration official tells cnn shanahan was fully vetted. the white house was generally aware of the domestic abuse claims. even though shanahan himself was never arrested, there was growing concern his ex-wife would publicly accuse him of domestic abuse. shanahan's withdrawal raises key questions about pentagon leadership and comes just as tensions are escalating with iran. cnn's ryan brown has more. >> reporter: good morning, michelle and dave. this most senior shakeup at the pentagon amid increased tensions in iran, acting secretary of defense pat shanahan stepping down announcing he will resign effective sunday we're being told. and this shakeup comes as president trump has said he is seeking to avoid war with iran while the u.s. simultaneously is deplo

shanahan told him at that time that he would be withdrawing. according to people familiar with the matter, the president was measured. he accepted the decision and then shortly thereafter he was on the phone with mr. es per, mark esper, the secretary of the army, offered him the job and esper accepted. now they've got to figure out the logistics of this because there are a lot of legal matters on who has authorities to order strikes, these sorts of things. for esper to take over as acting secretary of defense, pretty shortly shanahan will be leaving the defense department and the current deputy is also in an acting position. these are names we don't always hear, people like mark esper. >> the world looks complicated. this isn't the time where things are calm. we are sending troops to the middle east. we have troops in north korea. hans, thanks as always. for reaction to the news on capitol hill i want to bring in kelly o'donnell. most people are not concerning themselves too much with where shanahan is in these allegations but why this wasn't m

so incame patrick shanahan. patrick shanahan with not a lot of experience in this sort of thing at all came in and said famously the pentagon will not be known as the department of no. he was largely in lock step with the white house, especially john bolton. mike pompeo, the secretary of state. there were complaints that john bolton would go and talk to his subordinate, going around the chain of command. let's talk about where we've been and where we're going in a very important department especially given the high tensions in the middle east. michael o'hanlon is here for analysis from the brookings institute. michael, thank you. >> shepard, good to see you. how do you feel about where the defense department has been for the past six months without a confirmed defense secretary and where it seems to be going? >> first, i'd say it's regrettable we haven't had a confirmed defense secretary. this is not a good way to do business. second, we've been lucky. we've had general joseph dunford. he's in his fourth year. i

shanahan told the post that he later regretted that memo and that the self-defense kwlams false. >> shanahan was fully vetted and the white house was aware of the claim. shanahan's withdrawal raises key questions about pentagon leadership and comes just as tensions are escalating with iran. cnn's ryan brown with more. >> reporter: good morning, michelle and dave. this most senior shakeup at the pentagon amid increased tensions with iran, acting secretary of defense pat shanahan stepping down, announcing that he will resign effective sunday we're being told. and this shakeup comes as president trump has said he is seeking to avoid war with iran while the u.s. simultaneously is deploying thousands of additional troops to the region to do forced protection, to say -- to respond to what it says is an increased iranian threat. 1,000 troops being ordered most recently. those forces will include reconnaissance personnel, missile defense crews. forces said to be defensive in nature but iran saying it will be prepared to respond if need be. the senior shakeup at the pentagon raising questions here. m

shanahan to withdraw?> no, i didn't, he walked in this morning and said it's going to be a rough time for him because of what obviously happened. but i did not ask him to withdraw. he presented me with a letter this morning. that was his decision. >> i had heard about it yesterday for the first time. i didn't know about it, i had heard about it yesterday. it's very unfortunate. very unfortunate. [ inaudible ]. >> no, we have very good vetting. you take a look at our cabinet and secretary is very good. we have great vetting for us. but this is something that came up over a short period of time. and as you know, that was acting, so acting gives you much greater flexibility. a lot easier to do things. that's the way it is. too bad. >> and following the announcement of patrick shanahan's resignation, democratic senators were quick to condemn the outgoing acting secretary for failing to disclose information in his background. of course, we heard from senator blumenthal and other senators yesterday, yasmin, who

shanahan said he had the charges dropped against her. there was another incident involving one of his sons. in a domestic abuse incident with his mother. very difficult business. the secretary making the decision that he felt he could not go forward with a confirmation hearing if this was going to further be a public issue that he didn't want his children to have to live through that again. wolf. >> barbara, the president said he's naming the secretary of the army mark esper to be the new acting defense secretary. tell us about that. >> reporter: well he is very well known around the defense industry and the pentagon and with the generals and admirals at the most senior levels. as secretary of the army, he's in charge of training and equipping soldiers to be ready to deploy. but now as acting defense secretary, he is going to have to get briefed up very quickly by the time he takes charge on friday. he is going to have to know everything that a secretary of defense knows. launching of nuclear weapons, how to send special operations cover

kimberly shanahan says in court documents, patrick shanahan excused the behavior of their son, saying mr. shanahan has taken the position that i proskd the assault. nachkt, patrick shanahan did send a memo about the incident to his ex-wife's brother saying that his son acted in self-defense and that will's mother harassed him for nearly three hours before the incident. she fueled the situation by berating him repeated lid in his rom. shanahan later said in court filings that he wrote that to help plan for his son's legal defense. there is no excuse for what will did to his mother. will's actions were unquestionably wrong but i am his father and love him unconditionally. shanahan who thanked his hearing during his confirmation hearing as defense zbleekt liked to acknowledge my three children who accompanied me here today. kayla, will and jack seated bhind me. >> today says it's bus of them he pulled his name out. he wrote a statement saying i believe my continuing in the confirmation process would force my three children to relive a traumatic chapter in our family's live and reopened w

police only arrested shanahan's wife. he later dropped the charges. >> i'd like to acknowledge my three children who have accompanied me here today. >> reporter: in 2011, an even more alarming incident involving his then 17-year-old son, will, in a violent altercation with his mother. abc news obtaining the arrest report, which described will "grabbing a baseball bat" and "striking the back of her head." police say she attempted to defend herself by "firing his air gun pellets" at him. the incident left her unconscious on the floor "with a bloody head wound, fractured elbow and fractured skull." "the post" reports shanahan wrote a memo to a family member in support of his son at the time of the incident, which said "use of a baseball bat in self-defense will likely be viewed as an imbalance of force, however, will's mother harassed him for nearly three hours before the incident." shanahan telling "the post" he now regrets that statement, saying he didn't know the extent of his ex-wife's injuries and was trying to keep his

shanahan wait so long? that's a great question, alex, i think he probably knew his background was eventually going to come to hurt him, he was hoping it won the. but as more and more information comes out about the challenges he had in his marriage with his son, with the investigation into his son's assault on his ex-wife, all of those things would have come out in any kind of hearing that -- any nomination hearing, and it goes to the importance of vetting candidates for key cabinet positions. >> yeah, i want to put that question to pam. this was a very contentious, very messy divorce. there must have been some people at some level that new about this. what does it say about this vetting process for shanahan? is these are some pretty significant red flags, are they not? >> this is raising questions about the white house's vetting process, and the white house's foresight on situations -- potentially damaging information that come to light. in this case i'm told by an add ming station official that the white

it was clear that acting defense secretary patrick shanahan had hit a bit of a rough patch. there was a report during the d-day events that the president was seeking alternatives, and it was clear that his confirmation had stalled because the actual request for a confirmation hearing had not ever been sent up to the hill. then there was, just moments ago, a "usa today" article that broke news that the fbi was still investigating allegations of domestic abuse that came out of a very contentious divorce proceeding involving shanahan. so i think it's no surprise that the president decided that this was going to be a difficult confirmation hearing, and remember, the inspector general had to look into shanahan's involvement and by his former position at boeing, this has been a trouble nomination, really, from the beginning. it was clear that the president was losing confidence in the nomination. speaking of mark esper, he currently is the head -- the army secretary in charge of 1.4 million soldiers and national guardsmen. he has been leading that department and is a favorite of t

it is a statement that shanahan today disavows. needless to say this news is sending shock waves throughout the trump administration on capitol hill and beyond. cnn barbara starr is at the pentagon. but let's start with kaitlan collins who is in orlando ahead of the president's rally. orlando a crucial swing part of a vital battleground state where supporters have been lined up for hours and even overnight for this evening's festivities. >> our friend shanahan is a good pan and he's done a great job. >> reporter: president trump announcing his pick to lead the pentagon will withdraw before even being formally nominated writing that patrick shanahan who has done a wonderful job, has decided not to go forward with his confirmation process to devote more time to his family. trump said he'll name army secretary mark esper as the new acting defense secretary. but declined to say whether that would become permanent. shanahan is the former boeing executive who had been running the defense department since james mattis resigned in protest

patrick shanahan who had been running the pentagon is out. mark esper who has been secretary of the army is the new acting secretary of defense. the back story is rather ugly. the announcement came within minutes of a "the washington post" report that outlined alleged domestic violence incidents within shanahan's family. we'll have more on the story in a moment but first the president has wrapped up this rally in orlando tonight where he delivered his message to die-hard supporters. >> our patriotic movement has been under assault from the very first day. we accomplished more than any other president has in the first two and a half years of a presidency and under circumstances that no president has had to deal with before because we did in the middle of the great and illegal witch hunt things that nobody had been able to accomplish, not even close. nobody has done what we have done in two and a half years. >> the president also wasted no time going after democrats. >> our radical democrat opponents are driven by hatred, prejudice, and rage. t

shanahan and his ex-wife accused each other of assault nearly a decade ago. she was the only one arrested but the charges were later dropped. >> does that make you concerned about the white house vetting process if you just heard about it yesterday? >> we have a very good vetting process. you look at our cabinet and secretaries very good. we have a great vetting process. this came up over the last short period of time. pat was acting. >> reporter: the pat was having second thoughts about nominating shanahan since he lacked military experience and has a more reserved demeanor. less than a day the decision to send more troops to the middle east amid increasing tensions with iran. >> we talked about the decision that secretary shanahan and the president approved to move 1,000 more americans in to make sure we're in a position to do the right thing. >> reporter: the president also reverting back to things from his 2016 campaign vowing a mass immigration crackdown. that coming to a surprise to homeland security and i.c.e. officials. a senior official saying there'

police arrested only shanahan's wife. he later dropped the charges. and in 2011 police were called after shanahan's then 17-year-old son will got into a violent altercation with his mother. the arrest report says will grabbed a baseball bat and struck his mother on the back of her head. shanahan says, i believe my continuing in the confirmation process would force my three children to relive a traumatic chapter in our family's life and re-open wounds we have worked years to heal. the white house is now facing new questions about why the allegations didn't surface when shanahan was nominated as the pentagon's second in command and again before he was named acting defense secretary on january 1st. >> i feel that there was possibly a deliberate concealment here. i think there ought to be an investigation by the i.g. and the department of defense. >> reporter: president trump defended his administration's vetting process while praising shanahan. >> i had heard about it yesterday for the first time. we have a very good vetting process, and you take a look

shanahan has denied a striking his wife. shanahan revealed an incident in which his son assaulted his ex-wife with a baseball bat when he was 17 years old. according to the post, the attack left shanahan's wife unconscious in a pool of blood with her skull fractured and internal injuries which required surgery. shanahan's resignation letter alluded to his children." it is unfortunate that a painful and deeply personal family situation from long ago is being dredged up and painted in and then complete and therefore misleading way in the course of this process." shanahan pulls a post, bad things can happen to good family. the president nominated the current army secretary who already overseas 1.4 million guardsmen. a former raytheon executive, he served on active duty in the army for a decade including the first gulf war with a 101st airborne division. shanahan was the longest acting defense secretary in history. he only did one p/e interview when serving as active defense piece. >> i don't wake up in the morning and think abo

then patrick shanahan took over. he's this former boeing executive. for so long he languished in that role as acting defense secretary. he and the chief of staff, mick mul mulvaney, pushed the president to nominate him because they said it was affecting his abilities to carry out the job to the best of his ability. then the president announced, yes, he did intend to nominate patrick shap hnahan as the permanent defense secretary. but that never became official. you have to actually sending the paperwork up to capitol hill. there have been questions with whether his background check had been completed, what essentially was tying up his nomination. there was speculation there was a chance it could be withdrawn. now of course we should note that the president privately has been talking very highly of patrick shanahan, has been praising him lately. now that he's told the president he's decided to withdraw is just another name that we've seen on a list of names coming out of this administration of people that the president has wanted to put in positions bu

of domestic violence leaving shanahan with what he called no other choice i believe like continuing in the confirmation process would force my 3 children to relive a traumatic chapter in our family's life and reopen wills we have worked years to heal ultimately their safety and well being is my highest priority. according to the washington post police arrested shanahan's wife for punching him in the face in 20102011 shanahan's son was arrested and charged for fracturing his mother's skull with a baseball bat the president long criticized for not vetting his top advisers called shanahan's departure regrettable i had heard about it yesterday for the 1st time i did know about it i had heard about it yesterday it is it's. very unfortunate but senators didn't know any of this when they confirmed shanahan for deputy defense secretary in 27 teams and in light of the military's ongoing problems with sexual assault and domestic violence some congressional staffers say giving shanahan the top job permanently would have been difficult the new acting secretary current army secretary mark asper

>> a tragic story on a personal level for shanahan. putting that aside for a moment looking at foreign policy and this administration this entire episode that vacancy now with another acting secretary. it leaves the impression for so many officials in the administration that mike pompeo and president trump is in control of foreign policy. they don't expect a strong personality to be nominated. i hear veteran secretary robert willky. on the short list. a low key person. they think it's bolton. he has a bit of a tense relationship with the president at the moment. secretary pompeo driving lt discussions on iran along with president trump. and the pentagon is not expecting the coming year or two to be a major force on the front. >> shanahan came from boeing. and while mark the army secretary running the pentagon on acting basis, did lobbying for in addition to that he had a life prior to that. he fought in the gulf war. bronze star. west point. harvard degree. so that is the man currently running the pentagon. and peter baker that brings

when shanahan was nominated to become deputy secretary of defense in 2017. a member of the senate armed services committee says they were never told. >> that there was something in this nominee's past, patrick shanahan's past, that was deliberately concealed or mistakenly covered up. >> reporter: two white house officials told cbs news they knew about shanahan's family turmoil when the president announced last month he would nominate him as the next secretary of defense. today president trump claimed he just found out. >> i had heard about it yesterday for the first time. >> reporter: announcing his resignation, shanahan said, "continuing in the confirmation process would force my three children to relive a traumatic chapter in our family's life." a sad story which leaves the country without a confirmed secretary of defense. >> to have no secretary of defense at this time is appalling. and it shows the chaos in this administration. >> reporter: the president says he will probably nominate his current secretary of the army, mark esper, to be his next secretar

two weeks later shanahan wrote a letter saying will's mother harassed him nearly three hours before the incident. shanahan now telling the post, i have never believed will's attack on his mother was an act of self-defense or justified i don't believe violence is appropriate ever. today in a statement saying, continuing in the confirmation process would force my three children to re-live a traumatic chapter in our family's life their safety and well-being is my highest priority. the president saying he just learned of the incidents monday and defended the white house vetting process. >> we have a great vetting process, but this is something that came up a little bit over the last short period of time. and as you know, pat was acting, and so acting gives you much greater flexibility, a lot easier to do things. >> reporter: president trump now moving on to his third pentagon chief in six months, tapping army secretary mark asper as acting defense secretary at a critical moment amid tensions with iran, who the u.s. accuses of a series of attacks on oil tankers but in a new interview, the pr

to serve as jim mattis as deputy, shanahan is denied striking his wife. and interview with washington post shanahan revealed a separate incident in which his son assaulted his wife with a baseball bat when he was 17 years old. according to the post the attack left shanahan's ex-wife unconscious in a pool of blood with her skull fractured and internal injuries which required surgery. shanahan's resignation letter alluded to his children, quote, it is unfortunate that a painful and deeply personal family situation from long ago is being dredged up and painted in an incomplete and therefore misleading way. donald trump tweeted his decision to nominate mark esper, the current army secretary who already overseas 1.4 million soldiers and guardsmen. a former executive from the same west point class of 1986 as mike pompeo served on active-duty for a decade including the first gulf war with the 101st airborne division. shanahan's last day is friday. shannon: thank you. a tale of 2 very different crowds. and aga rallies to the big-ticket fundraisers. standing by to

his wife kimberly shanahan called 911. >> he's been hitting me.s to get him out of the house. >> reporter: police report shows his wife insisted patrick hit him and struck her several times in the stomach. yet responding officers found kimberly did not have any visible marks on her. police also noted in the report patrick had a black eye and a bloody nose. patrick denied hitting her saying that she was the aggressor according to police. patrick shanahan told police his wife threw his clothing out of their home and tried to light it on fire. he said she struck him multiple times in the face. his wife was arrested and charged with assault. though the charges were later dropped. one year later, another violent incident in the family. in november 2011, the couple's son william shanahan brutally beat his mother with a baseball bat. she was left with a bloody head wound and a fractured skull according to the police incident report. still, patrick shanahan defended his son at the time saying in a memo to his ex-wife's brother, use of a baseball bat in se

as we know now, shanahan will leave the pentagon. there had been some confusion on that. he'll leave the pentagon. there are two open positions. the acting secretary of defense level and the deputy level which is where shanahan had been. so there are vacancies throughout the pentagon, and you can argue at a very crucial time. >> yeah, it's a very critical point when everything is very much on edge, especially in the region where courtney is reporting from today. hans nichols, courtney kube, thank you. >>> coming up next -- news from the administration that is sure to rally the base for tonight's 2020 kickoff. the president says millions of illegal immigrants are days away from being arrested. is that even possible? >>> later, the fight rages on between jon stewart and senator mitch mcconnell to maintain funding for 9/11 first responders. >> i don't know why he's all bent out of shape. >> i'm not bent out of shape. i'm fine. i'm bent out of shape for them. honey have you seen my glasses? i've always had a knack for finding things... colon cancer, to be exact. and i find it

police only arrested shanahan's wife.e charges. >> i'd like to acknowledge my three children who have accompanied me here today. >> reporter: in 2011, an even more alarming incident involving his then 17-year-old son, will, in a violent altercation with his mother. abc news obtaining the arrest report which described will grabbing a baseball bat and striking the back of her head. police say she attempted to defend herself by firing his air gun pellets at him. the incident left her unconscious on the floor with a bloody head wound, fractured elbow, and fractured skull. the president facing questions about when he knew about these incidents and why they didn't come out in the vetting process for the acting defense secretary. the white house naming a new nominee, the widely respected army secretary, mark esper, who will need senate confirmation. of course this comes at a time of escalating tension with iran. patrick shanahan just approved 1,000 more troops yesterday to the region. but the president tried to assure everyone a

the pentagonr this mng after another shake-up at the defense department acting secretary patrick shanahan is on his way out, g thdrawins nomination to head up the pentagon after allegations of past domestic violence surfaced. secretary of the ay mark esper will now take over as acting defense chief amid-escalating tensions with tehran nbc's peter alexander has more >> reporter: president trump speaking out about the sudden departure of his acting defense secretary patrick shanahan >> it's a difficult time for pat. but he's going to take a lite time o for family service and and for working things out >> reporter: the abrupt exit comes just as "usa today" reports the fbi has been examining a violent domestic dispute from 2010 between shanahan and his then wife kimberly as part of a ckground investigation where both claimed to police they had been punched by the other shanahan, a former boeing executive, told "usa today" "i never laid a hand on my then wife." and the "washington post" reports there was anothe ir domesticident in 2011, this time between kimberly and the couple's then 17-year-

shanahan now telling the "post", "i have never believed will's atta an act of self-defense or justified i don't believe violence appropriate ever." in a statement saying continuing in the formation process could wo force my three children to relive a traumatic chafrptd in our family's life. their safety and well-being is my highest priority. the president saying he just learned of the incidents monday and defending the white house vetting process. >> we have a great vetting process. but this is something that came up a little bit over the last he short period of time and as you know, pat was acting. and so acting gives you much greater flexibility, a lot easier to do things. >> reporter: president trump now moving on to his thirds pentagon chief in six months, tapping army secretary mark esper as acting defense secretary at a critical moment amid tensions with iran whom the u.s. accuses of a series of attacks on oil tankers but in a new interview the president's downplaying them, saying "so far it's been very minor. >> our thanks to peter alexander for that report. >>> breaking news thi

shanahan is gone. the president has put his weight on the army.gut tells me what the administration is doing right now, andrea, is trying to hold all the power in the white house and have a lot of people out in the agencies or at the u.n. who are in sort of acting capacity that reduces congressional oversight and give the president more ability to yankees their chain. we have people that are out there that are not really acting with the position demands because the president seems to like it. he likes these actings rather than fully confirms because it enables him to run things more from the political shop at the white house, let the experts decisions. to be continued, thank you tim kaine. >> thank you. >> captain sully is on the hill of what he's saying about the b boeing max planes 737. stay with us. max planes 737. stay with us it was an instant savings and i should have changed a long time ago. it was funny because when we would call another insurance company, hey would say "oh we can't beat usaa" we're the webber family. we're the tenney's we

can i play a little bit of your interview with patrick shanahan? take a look. >> does it affect your job at all? >> my mother asks me this question all the time. when are you going to be nominated? what i tell her is it's an honor and a privilege to serve our country, and i will serve in any capacity that the president sees fit. i don't wake up in the morning and think about whether i'm going to be nominated. i do the job. >> dana: let's get your thoughts on that. and then just a couple of months ago, the news that we have today, he has just submitted his resignation letter. >> yeah, that was to show how much he really wanted this job. he really did. going in, the thought was the problem might be that he was vice president of boeing, and there would be too many close ties with boeing, with all the defense contracts and everything else that happens with the pentagon. that was not it. it was this focus on domestic violence within his family. "the washington post" talked to him, as jennifer mentioned. it is important to point out that they arrested hi

shanahan decided to step aside.resident identified somebody that i've had the opportunity to work with. esper will not miss a stride and will continue to do the good work under this administration. >> neil: so it comes at a time as you know where the president is sort of upping the ante with iran, hoping to bring an additional 1,000 troops to the region. what do you think of that, whether it's enough, tomorrow, escalating the crisis? >> based on the briefings that i've gotten, the president is responding to people on the ground that are thinking first and foremost about protection. we have thought there's and we need to keep them safe first and be prepared. putting assets in the region has a calming influence on what other rise iran acts like they're not in check. >> neil: senator, did you get any sense that markets overreacted to this phone call the president had with the president of china, that they hope to talk and step aside and deal with a lot of trade issues at the g-20 in osaka, japan? the markets are leapin

you mentioned that shanahan wasn't it. do we know who it was?know that the president had looked into some other alternatives such as senator lindsey graham who apparently said he didn't want the job. and some others and, you know, eventually even senator graham had some contentious moments with shanahan over syria policy and he came around and was one of those who said to the president, you know, you really need to pick someone. if it's going to be shanahan, fine, but leaving this important position in an acting role, you know, weakens the u.s.. it doesn't make us effective on the world stage. >> counselor to the president, kellyanne conway, a few moments ago here on msnbc, she was asked about this and this was her response. >> is the president having any second doubts about his picks for defense secretary, shanahan? >> no, he has faith in him and he said -- as he reported yesterday -- >> when is he going to be officially nominated? >> that the president is expecting to be -- >> when is he going to be officially nominated, kellyanne? it's been s

david martin reports from the pentagon. >> reporter: patrick shanahan and his wife kimberly divorced eight years ago, a year after a run-in with police which began with this 911 call. >> my husband's throwing punches at me. >> according to court documents he denied that, claiming she punched him, giving him a bloody nose. when the police arrived, she was charged with assault and the charges later dismissed. after the divorce, fights over money and custody of the three children continued. in 2017 his 17-year-old son beat his mother with a baseball bat. i was knocked unconscious twice, adding that her ex-husband has taken the position i have provoked the assault. the documents were all public when he was nominated secretary of defense in 2017, but a member of the senate armed services committee says they were never told. >> that there was something in this nominee's past, patrick shanahan's past, that was deliberately concealed or mistakenly covered up. >> reporter: two white house officials told cbs news they knew about shanahan's family turmoil when the president announced last month

shanahan told the "post" that "bad things can happen to good families."s departure there are now nine members of the president's administration who are serving in an acting capacity. and that's just how this president likes it. so back with me now, daniel dale, susan glasser, and marc caputo. so susan, that is a lot to chew on. let's talk about this. the family of patrick shanahan's ex-wife, they have actually released a statement tonight coming to his defense. it is a tragic situation and obviously very personal. but how could this just be coming out when it was detailed in court filings and shanahan has been acting defense secretary since january? >> well, that's right. it also makes you wonder what kind of an fbi vetting and investigation they had in advance of the confirmation that he did receive to be the deputy secretary of the defense department. and so if you really wanted to keep his family private, there's certainly lots of questions about why this has gone on for so long. but the broader question of course that you've raised is you know, are we

shanahan was never formally nominated by trump. shanahan is a former boeing executive. you worked there for over 30 years. you will be replaced by mark esper, another former aerospace executive and top lobbyist for raytheon. in a highly anticipated report released wednesday, a u.n. expert has called for crown prince mohammed bin salman to be investigated for the death of journalist jamal khashoggi, citing "credible evidence" that he and other top saudi officials are individually liable for the october murder. special rapporteur agnes callamard wrote that khashoggi's death "constituted an extrajudicial killing for which the state of the kingdom of saudi arabia is responsible." call for targeted sanctions against the crown prince. in other news on saudi arabia, reuters reports that u.s. secretary of state mike pompeo has blocked the kingdom from being included on a list of countries that recruit child soldiers, dismissing expert findings that saudi arabia has used child fighters in yemen. the u.s. spec saudi led war in yemen has led to the worst humanitarian crisis. 80% o

. >>> acting defense secretary pat shanahan is citing a painful family situation as the reason for dropping his employment. >>> tension between the u.s. and iran intensifies. mike pompeo says sending troops to the middle east will deter aggression. >>> a drug bust in philadelphia uncovers more than $100 billion worth of cocaine stashed in a cargo ship. >>> a massive great white shark swims right up to a fisherman's boat. >>> video of an epic fail at a gender reveal party. >>> and all that matters. new research shows it's a trick to help them manipulate us. >> we stop it by just covering their eyes up. no, no, it's even cuter! >> on "cbs this morning." >>> the job in florida dressed adds spiderman. ♪ spiderman, spiderman, does whatever your stepdad can't ♪ is he strong? here is proof ♪ there goes the spiderman. >>> this morning's eye opener is presented by toyota. let's go places. >>> anybody ever try power washing on the roof? >> it is dicey. >> a job best left to a professional. >> gayle, welcome back. >> it's good to be back. i was in khan talking to advertisers -- is it khan or khan? >>

shanahan: finally, i want to close with an old adage. a ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships were built for. we live in troubled times from the chinese to the russian activity. the list of world woes is long. we are going to send you out among them. are the challenges serious? yes. do they require all that is best within us to deter and, if necessary, defeat them? yes. do we have any doubt in our ability to do this? none whatsoever. not as long as you are willing to stay the course, to think and not merely copy, to stand your ground. remember who you are. sailors and marines in the u.s. navy and marine corps, you are guardians of the best of our american heritage and tradition. that heritage includes individual freedom, the universal dignity of all human beings, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. these ideals do not live on their own in the world. your predecessors have guarded them for the last 243 years. now it is your turn. around the world, your shipmates are waiting to receive you into their ranks. you are joini

and was sort of casting about for at advice for alternatives to shanahan. and, you know, that doesn't necessarily always mean that the president is going to pull back his support for someone. we've seen him do this before with other people who are around him. some of them have lasted longer. some of them have not. it all comes as, you know, the white house announced on may 9th that shanahan was the president i 's pick as the next defense secretary yet they haven't formally nominated him, sent his nomination to the senate. this raised a series of questions of whether or not this is going to go through. it's happening as there's been public daylight between shanahan and president trump over north kor korea. shanahan took a different position on whether north korea's short-range ballistic missiles were a violation of the united nations security resolutions. he said they were. president trump said they weren't. shanahan took a very sympathetic line toward john mccain, late senator john mccain after it came out that the white house had sought to move the "uss mc

shanahan, a former boeing executive, told usa today i never laid a hand on my then wife. and the "washington post" reports, there was another do h domestic incident n 2011 betwee kimberly and the son william. the teenager used a baseball bat to brutally beat his mother aving her unconscious with a fractured skull. two weeks laterhanahan wrote a letter saying will's mother harassed him nearly three hours before the incident. shanahan now telling the post, i have never believed will's attack on his mother was an act of self-defense or justified. i don't lieve skrie lenss appropriate ever. today in a statement saying, continuing in the confirmation f process wouce my three children to re-live a traumatic chapter in our family's life. their safety and well-being is my highest priority. the president saying he just learned of the incidents monday and defended the white house vetting process. >> we have a great vetting ocess, but this is something that came up a little bit over the last short period of time. and as you know, pat was acting, and so acting gives you much greater

to hold the position in a permanent capacity shanahan became acting defense secretary when his boss james mattis resigned at the end of 2018 is your placement is army secretary mark spit that speech was in jordan in washington d.c. for a strong saying it was china who withdrew his nomination do we know why. well it's because of incidents of domestic violence in his family in the last decade this is information that was not made available to the senate armed services committee when it was considering shanahan for his previous job that of a deputy defense secretary and certainly the message was sent from congress that because this had not come up there were going to be difficult questions about whether shanahan could continue to lead the pentagon at a time when the agency itself when the military itself is dealing with endemic issues involving domestic violence sexual assault sexual harassment and rape this is also a situation where the incidents in question went back to 292010 but they were quite violent and it's not even clear whether the president himself donald trump was aware of