Trump Defense Secretary Put Under Immediate Investigation For Boeing Ties

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Donald Trump has a lot of “acting” positions in his administration, including the acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, who took over for Gen. James Mattis when he resigned. Shanahan previously worked for more than 30 years at Boeing, and that is creating a problem in his new position.

After two crashes by Boeing’s Max 8 in Indonesia and Ethiopia, an investigation into how the aircraft was deemed “safe” just two weeks before the tragic incidences occurred began, and Shanahan’s ties to Boeing have led to an entirely separate investigation into him.

The Washington Post reports that:

‘The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General has decided to investigate complaints we recently received that Acting Secretary Patrick Shanahan allegedly took actions to promote his former employer, Boeing, and disparage its competitors, allegedly in violation of ethics rules.’

The Defense Department’s Office of the Inspector General initiated the investigation into the number two man at the Pentagon. Shanahan’s spokespeople issued a statement upon release of the news, while Shanahan himself called the investigation “just noise.”

‘Acting Secretary Shanahan has at all times remained committed to upholding his ethics agreement filed with the DoD. This agreement ensures any matters pertaining to Boeing are handled by appropriate officials within the Pentagon to eliminate any perceived or actual conflict of interest issue with Boeing.’

The ethics complaint alleges that Shanahan promoted Boeing’s interests while criticizing Lockheed Martin, a rival of the aircraft company. In a statement by the Office of the Inspector General, they wrote that:

‘The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General has decided to investigate complaints we recently received that Acting Secretary Patrick Shanahan allegedly took actions to promote his former employer, Boeing, and disparage its competitors, allegedly in violation of ethics rules.’

All of Trump’s promises to “drain the swamp” have turned out to be just more lies from the president now that he’s in the Whtie House, as his cabinet members continue to turn out to be working more in their own interest than the American people’s.

‘CREW cited news stories saying Shanahan had criticized Lockheed Martin, a chief rival to Boeing, and had urged the Pentagon to buy more Boeing-manufactured F-15X fighter jets in defiance of Air Force acquisition preferences.’

Featured image via Flickr by Gage Skidmore under a Creative Commons license