White House looking at replacements for US defense secretary: Report
Tehran (KNA) - The White House is “actively” discussing possible candidates to replace James Mattis as the secretary of defense, a media report has revealed, amid intensified speculations that the Pentagon chief may step down after the disclosure of his criticism of President Donald Trump.
Citing a senior White House official, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that "the speculation about who replaces Mattis is now more real than ever."
According to the report, many officials close to the Trump administration had already expected that Mattis would leave his position sometime over the next few months.
Trump, however, rejected the report, stressing that Mattis will remain in his job.
"He'll stay right there. We're very happy with him. We're having a lot of victories," Trump told reporters on Wednesday.
What fueled these speculations were excerpts from a new book by veteran journalist Bob Woodward that claimed Mattis had told associates Trump "acted like - and had the understanding of - 'a fifth- or sixth-grader'."
Mattis has denied the remarks attributed to him, describing Woodward's book as "a fiction."
Source: PressTV