Shanahan to leave Pentagon, Mark Esper to take over: Trump

Washington [USA]: The United States’ Acting Secretary of Defence, Patrick Shanahan, will step down from his post to “devote more time to his family,” as per US President Donald Trump.
Trump further said that he would be naming Mark Esper as Shanahan’s successor to the top Pentagon post.
“Acting Secretary of Defence Patrick Shanahan, who has done a wonderful job, has decided not to go forward with his confirmation process so that he can devote more time to his family,” the US President tweeted on Tuesday.
“I thank Pat for his outstanding service and will be naming Secretary of the Army, Mark Esper, to be the new Acting Secretary of Defence. I know Mark and have no doubt he will do a fantastic job!” he further said.
This comes shortly after the Washington Post published a report revealing that Shanahan’s son had attacked his own mother with a baseball bat in 2011, according to CNN.
The report alleges that Shanahan had allegedly penned a memo for his son’s initial court appearance, in which he argued that the 17-year-old had acted in self-defence.