Biden to nominate a Black for defense secretary after pressure from Black leaders, NAACP....Biden remains under pressure from Black leaders to nominate Blacks for top level Cabinet positions....Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com
WASHINGTON, D.C. – President-elect Joe Biden will nominate a Black to join his Cabinet as defense secretary, an insider decision that follows his public announcement on Monday morning of his key nominations and appointments of his White House health team.
The former vice president who served under former president Barack Obama, the nation's first Black president, Biden chose retired four-star Army general Lloyd Austin, 67, to run the Pentagon.
Sources say Biden spoke with Gen. Austin over the weekend and offered him the job of heading the Department of Defense, the nation's largest government agency, and commanding the troops around the world.
He obviously agreed to take the position, one of the most prominent positions in the president's Cabinet, and one, like others, that requires Senate approval.
He won Biden's support over front-runner Michelle Flournoy, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy under President Bill Clinton and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy under President Obama.
Gen. Austin led U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) during the Obama administration.
If confirmed by the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate, he would become the first Black man to run the Pentagon and lead the Department of Defense, and would need a congressional waiver to be confirmed because he has not been out of the military for the required seven years.
Before CENTCOM, Austin served as the 33rd vice chief of staff of the United States Army from January 31, 2012, to March 8, 2016.
He was also the last commanding general of United States Forces – Iraq, Operation New Dawn, which ended on December 18, 2011, and then Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army.
He retired from the Army in April 2016.
He is the first Black nominated for a secretary post with the Biden administration.
The retired general's defense secretary nomination comes on the heels of increasing pressure from Black leaders, including congressional Democrats and Congressional Black Caucus members like Rep James Clyburn of South Carolina, also the majority whip, and Civil Rights organizations like the NAACP.
They want Blacks in top level Cabinet positions like secretary and literally took on Biden and reminded him that Blacks put him in office and that adviser and deputy level Cabinet positions alone simply would not do.
They said Blacks should get top level Cabinet positions as Whites traditionally get at the White House.
Biden had scheduled a meeting with the NAACP on Tuesday that was requested by NAACP President Derrick Johnson, who told CNN Wednesday that his organization and other Civil Rights groups had requested time with Biden and Harris to discuss "the incoming administration and ensuring minority and Civil Rights representation in their agenda."
Biden was diplomatic relative to the controversy with Black leaders that is still brewing while he names members of his Cabinet.
The President-elect said he expects Black leaders to speak out on issues of public concern pertinent to the Black community.
"Their job is to push me," Biden told reporters. "That's their job."
Rep Clyburn hesitated to let Biden off the hook, but told CNN on Monday that he is optimistic.
He said in other interviews with reporters that time will tell whether Biden intends to make do on his campaign promises to Black America.
"I want to see where the process leads to, what it produces," Clyburn told a reporter for the hill in an interview on whether Biden's Cabinet positions thus far have been fair to America's Black community. "But so far it’s not good.”
Clyburn is credited with turning around Biden's campaign when he endorsed him and helped him win South Carolina's Democratic primary over Sen Bernie Sanders, a much needed win.
He went on to win Super Tuesday, and ultimately the Democratic nomination for president, and then the general election on Nov. 3 over outgoing president Donald Trump, the Republican nominee.
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