‘MAD DOG’

Trump Announces Mattis Pick at Rally

As secretary of defense.

President-elect Donald Trump announced officially at a rally late Thursday evening in Cincinnati that he had selected retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis for the position of secretary of defense, despite the fact that campaign spokesman Jason Miller said earlier in the day that no decision had been reached yet. “But we’re not announcing until Monday so don’t tell anybody,” Trump told the crowd after making the announcement. Because Mattis is recently retired, his confirmation will also require Congress to pass a law circumventing the federal law prohibiting people who’ve been on active duty within the last seven years from serving civilian positions such as the secretary of defense. Following Trump’s presumptive victory in the Republican presidential primary, the former general was floated as a possible pick among so-called “Never Trumpers” as a candidate who could challenge Trump at the convention or with an independent presidential run.