Anthony Tata, President Donald Trump's nominee for undersecretary for personnel and readiness at the Department of Defense, disavowed his past remarks. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"I regret making those comments," said Tata. "I have 45 years of solution-oriented leadership, that was out of character. I regret it. I can guarantee that I will be an apolitical leader."
The retired Army general and former Trump administration official was nominated for a senior Pentagon role in 2020, but the Senate canceled his confirmation hearing at the last minute over similar concerns. Trump later appointed him to a civilian advisory role without Senate confirmation.
Tata’s post-military career includes stints as a school district official, North Carolina’s secretary of transportation, and a military thriller author.
After calling Obama a terrorist in 2018, Tata later wrote on X that he was "joking" and meant to criticize Obama for the Iran deal.
"I was joking! Of course it’s not a conspiracy theory. He did more to harm US vital interests and help Islamic countries than any president in history. The Iran deal alone is more than enough evidence of his drive to subvert US national interests to Islam and a globalist agenda."
"Might be a time to pick your poison," Tata had also replied on X to Brennan in a since-deleted post, accusing him of treason.
Last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Darin Selnick, his deputy chief of staff who had also been performing the duties of undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. Selnick was one of three top aides Hegseth fired after a leak investigation and fights between the aides and his former chief of staff.
Sen. Jack Reed listens during a Senate hearing on Capitol Hill on March 3, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images)
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In contrast, the nomination of Katherine Sutton for a top Pentagon technology role drew little opposition. Sutton, currently chief technology advisor at U.S. Cyber Command, warned that China’s cyber threats demand urgent investment in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Sutton was pressed by Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., on whether she believed Signal and Telemessage were permissible for work purposes at the DoD, after a slew of reports about the secretary's use of the encrypted messaging applications.
"Depends on the level of classification," said Sutton, adding there are a "wide variety" of apps in use at the DoD.
"OK, glad you got your talking point answer out," said Slotkin. "It’s concerning to me that going into this job you can’t give a straight balls and strike answer."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dems-grill-pentagon-nominee-tata-over-past-inflammatory-remarks-calling-obama-terrorist-leader