Senate clears key military nomination after Tuberville drops hold on Army general

The Senate on Wednesday quietly cleared a key military nomination for commanding general of the U.S. Army in the Pacific after Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) dropped his hold on the nominee.

Lt. Gen. Ronald Clark, the senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, was confirmed to be a general for the commanding Army job in the Pacific by a voice vote in the Senate shortly after Tuberville's hold was dropped. Other military nominations were also confirmed.

Tuberville had been holding up Clark's four-star nomination, which requires Senate approval, since at least early September over concerns he was deeply involved in Austin's hospitalization scandal earlier this year.

Mallory Jaspers, a spokesperson for Tuberville's office, said the senator met with Clark on Tuesday and decided to drop his hold "after a detailed discussion."

"While there were certainly failures elsewhere, the senator is confident that LTG Clark more than fulfilled his duties during the Secretary’s hospitalization," Jaspers said in a statement. "Senator Tuberville is thankful for LTG Clark’s many decades of service to our nation and wishes he and his family the best in his new assignment."

Tuberville had expressed concerns about Clark's role as the top aide to Austin when the secretary was hospitalized in early January after receiving a prostate cancer diagnosis.

Austin had an infection after a December surgery related to his cancer treatment and was hospitalized on Jan. 1, but he did not inform the White House or his deputy secretary, Kathleen Hicks, until Jan. 4.

Members of Congress and the public were not made aware until a day later, and the White House only learned of his cancer diagnosis after the hospitalization.

An internal Pentagon report in February found that there was no attempt to hide Austin's hospitalization among staff members nor any ill-intent during the process.

The Pentagon's watchdog, the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Defense, is conducting a separate inquiry.

Austin apologized for the event and said it occurred because of his desire for privacy, but he defended his staff in the incident.

Tuberville last year also held up the nominations of more than 400 military officers for some 10 months over concerns about a Pentagon policy that provides paid leave and reimbursement for servicemembers who travel for an abortion.

The Senate typically advances nominations by voice vote, so if even one senator announces a hold, it would make it a longer and more tedious process to confirm them, which the chamber typically avoids.