WASHINGTON--President Donald Trump announced Tuesday Patrick Shanahan has withdrawn from consideration as secretary of defense, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.

Trump said Army Secretary Mark Esper will replace Shanahan as acting defense secretary.

Esper was believed to have been a leading contender as defense secretary if Shanahan was not confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

"I would welcome the opportunity to be Secretary of Defense, but not at the expense of being a good father," Shanahan said. "It has been a deep honor and privilege to serve our country alongside the men and women of the Department of Defense."

USA Today and The Washington Post newspapers reported Tuesday the FBI has been investigating a nine-year-old domestic dispute between Shanahan and his then-wife, Kimberly, as part of a background check before the confirmation hearing.

His wife was arrested after punching him in the face, and his son was arrested after a separate incident in which he hit his mother with a baseball bat.

All three children were sitting behind Patrick Shanahan at his confirmation hearing to become deputy secretary of defense in June 2017.

The withdrawal of Shanahan from consideration comes amid rising U.S. tensions with Iran.

Trump has not had a permanent defense secretary since James Mattis resigned in December.

Mark Esper has been secretary of the Army since November 2017.

Prior to that, he spent seven years at the Raytheon Company as vice president for Government Relations.

Esper also served as National Security Adviser for a former Senate Majority Leader and policy director for the House Armed Services Committee. Before that, he was the legislative director and senior policy advisor to Senator Chuck Hagel, who later became Defense Secretary under President Barack Obama. (Source: VOA News)

Story Date: June 19, 2019