Defense pick faces questioning
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's nominee for Defense secretary reassured lawmakers he would restore stability to a troubled Pentagon, if confirmed by the Senate, as he rejected criticism that his ties to a defense contractor where he formerly worked "smacks of corruption."
Mark Esper, who has been serving as acting secretary since June, said Tuesday he would not adopt new restrictions on his dealings with Raytheon Co., where he served as chief lobbyist from 2010 to 2017.
In the sharpest exchange of an otherwise friendly confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a candidate for her party's presidential nomination, pressed Esper to extend and broaden ethics
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