According to a report at Politico, Donald Trump's administration is using loopholes in the appointment process to install young inexperienced loyalists in key Pentagon posts that has Democrats and defense analysts concerned.
The report notes that Congress is being left out of the loop on many of the appointments which have led to fears that experienced candidates for other jobs will pass on working at the Pentagon fearing a "politicized" atmosphere.
As Politico's Lara Seligman writes, the administration is avoiding candidate scrutiny by using loopholes included in the Vacancies Act.
"Under the Vacancies Act, a person who is not Senate-confirmed cannot serve as an acting undersecretary or higher. But the act allows the president to grant exceptions in three cases: someone confirmed to a position at a different agency; the “first assistant”; and someone who has been employed by the agency for at least 90 days and paid at least at a GS-15 rate," the report states.
According to Lindsay Cohn, an associate professor at the Naval War College, it is concerning that, "the criterion that seems to be getting these particular young, inexperienced people in is personal loyalty to the president."
“This can actually undermine the entire idea of a meritocratic democracy because it creates power with connection with the patron as opposed to power within the structure of the system," she explained.
Case in point is the appointment of Michael Kratsios, a 33-year-old White House chief technology officer, to head up research and engineering for the entire Department of Defense, despite not having experience in engineering.
Kratsios, who has a bachelor's degree in political science, is replacing Michael Griffin, a former NASA administrator with a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering," Seligman wrote.
According to Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the president is undermining the Pentagon and damaging its mission.
“This administration is shamefully circumventing the Senate confirmation process to install partisan puppets in senior Pentagon posts," he said. "By exploiting loopholes, they seek to escape congressional and public scrutiny of these underqualified officials. This is a threat to our national security and I will keep fighting to ensure rigorous oversight of executive branch appointees.”
According to Chip Unruh, a spokesperson for Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the president is having difficulty finding qualified people to work for him.
"The real problem is the Trump Administration simply can’t attract top tier talent for these critical posts," he said before adding. "The President prioritizes blind fealty to him above competence and it shows."
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