Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions has been a vocal supporter of president-elect Donald Trump for months, endorsing the Republican before many of his colleagues had the courage to do so.
Well, we are now learning that Sessions’ loyalty may have paid off as he is reportedly the leading candidate to lead the Pentagon. Early reports suggested that Senator Tom Cotton was also on the short list of Defense Secretary, but Sessions has taken the lead.
Sessions’ loyalty to Trump is seen as the major factor in him leading the pack, but according to Politico, the two do not see eye to eye on everything involving the military:
The two men haven’t seen eye to eye on everything: Sessions is a budget hawk who favors caps on defense spending, while Trump has called for an arms and troops buildup that could cost $55 billion or more per year. But sources say the three-term Alabama Republican senator has still emerged as the top candidate for Pentagon leader, perhaps the most important post in the upcoming Trump Cabinet.
While the Republican Senator hasn’t expressed his opinion, it is likely that he and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will have their pick of cabinet positions as a reward for their steadfast loyalty.
Despite the Alabama Senator’s strong support for Trump, he will likely receive push back from the establishment within the military:
The main alternative is Stephen Hadley, one of George W. Bush’s former national security advisers, who unlike many other Bush alums shrewdly refrained from criticizing Trump during the campaign. Other possibilities include Bill Clinton’s hawkish CIA director, Jim Woolsey, who endorsed Trump in September, as well as former Sen. Jim Talent of Missouri and outgoing Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire.
The #NeverTrump movement will likely reject Sessions due to his close ties to the incoming president and would rather a more establishment figure work in the Pentagon. However, since Trump values loyalty, it would be highly unlikely for him to nominate someone who he cannot trust on a regular basis.