President Donald J. Trump’s second nominee for Army Secretary, Tennessee State Sen. Mark E. Green, has officially withdrawn from consideration, according to the Washington Post.
Mr. Green, a veteran of the Iraq War, blamed “false and misleading attacks against him,” in a statement provided to NBC News.
Among those previously questioning his nomination was Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who expressed concerns about past comments he made regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also said in an interview with USA Today that some of Green’s comments are “very concerning” and that he would have to explain himself to the committee.
On Friday, Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said Mr. Green had “vilified” members of the LGBTQ, Muslim and Latino communities with his past statements.
“He was the wrong choice to serve as Secretary, and should not have been nominated in the first place,” he said in a statement.
The Pentagon and the White House had no immediate reaction to the move.
The previous nominee for the role, Vincent Viola, withdrew from the process, citing difficulties separating from his businesses.
The Washington Post contributed to this report.