Tuberville puts hold on military promotion for top Austin aide

By Lauren Fox, Morgan Rimmer and Jack Forrest, CNN

(CNN) — Sen. Tommy Tuberville has placed a hold on the promotion of Lt. Gen. Ronald Clark, a top aide to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, a spokesperson for the Alabama Republican confirmed to CNN.

“Sen. Tuberville has concerns about Lt. Gen. Clark’s actions during Secretary Austin’s hospitalization,” Tuberville spokesperson Mallory Jaspers told CNN. “Lt. Gen. Clark knew that Sec. Austin was incapacitated and did not tell the Commander in Chief. As a senior commissioned officer, Lt. Gen. Clark’s oath requires him to notify POTUS when the chain of command is compromised.”

The move, however, is very different from when Tuberville last year issued a blanket hold on military promotions across the board unless the Pentagon changed its abortion policy. A source familiar with the matter told CNN that this nomination now on the floor could still be resolved with procedural motions and is just one instead of hundreds from last year.

The release of a report from the Pentagon’s inspector general could also impact the future and speed of the confirmation. The review was launched earlier this year to review whether the Pentagon has the appropriate policies in place to ensure an effective transfer of power and duties following Austin’s hospitalizations that were not immediately disclosed to the White House or other senior national security officials.

Jaspers said the senator is “waiting to see the forthcoming IG report.”

The Washington Post first reported on the hold.

James Adams, a Pentagon spokesman, told CNN that Clark is “highly qualified” for the job and “was nominated for this critical position because of his experience and strategic expertise,” including his previous roles as commander of US Army Central, the Army’s 25th Infantry Division, and chief of staff for US Army Pacific.

“We urge the Senate to confirm all of our qualified nominees,” Adams said. “These holds undermine our military readiness.”

Austin was hospitalized on January 1 for complications from a prostate cancer procedure in December. The Pentagon did not notify the media until January 5 and despite the seriousness of his hospitalization, it was later revealed that Austin had not notified Congress or the White House about his diagnosis, initial procedure or subsequent complications and hospitalization.

The failure to notify administration officials kicked off a firestorm on Capitol Hill and Austin was grilled by members of Congress during a February hearing focused on his dayslong delay notifying both lawmakers and President Joe Biden about his whereabouts — with Republicans particularly eager to turn up the heat on Austin.

A defense official on Tuesday cited a separate, completed Pentagon review that found no deliberate attempt to hide Austin’s hospitalization. “The chain of command was not compromised. At no time were there any gaps in authorities and there were no risks to the Department’s command and control,” the official told CNN.

“The implication from the Senator, calling into question the oath of a soldier who has honorably served his country as a senior leader for more than three decades, is completely inappropriate,” they added.

Austin announced in a statement in July that Biden had nominated Clark, who is currently serving as the senior military assistant to Austin, for appointment as commanding general of US Army Pacific.

Now that the nomination is on the floor, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer could hold an up-or-down vote and burn time to confirm the nominee as Tuberville can’t hold it up forever on his own.

Tuberville faced bipartisan pressure last year for several months to cease his blanket hold on military promotions that started last March and delayed the confirmations of more than 450 top military nominees. Top military leaders, including Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro and Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told CNN at the time that the holds were aiding US adversaries.

Tuberville had maintained that he wanted the Pentagon to scrap its post-Roe v. Wade policy providing reimbursements for service personnel who travel out of state for reproductive services, including abortions.

He eventually released the bulk of his holds late last year, allowing hundreds of military nominations to be confirmed.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

CNN’s Oren Liebermann and Haley Britzky contributed to this report.

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