Politics

Trump pick for Navy Secretary withdraws nomination

For the second time in recent weeks, a choice for a top Pentagon leadership job by President Donald Trump has withdrawn, as Philip Bilden on Sunday evening gave up his nomination for Secretary of the Navy, unable to get around financial ethics restrictions related to his own personal investments.

“This was a personal decision driven by privacy concerns and significant challenges he faced in separating himself from his business interests,” said Defense Secretary James Mattis in a statement issued by the Pentagon.

Bilden’s decision to drop out mirrored that of Mr. Trump’s original choice for Army Secretary, Vincent Viola, who gave up