Defense nominees moved to Senate floor by panel
Armed Services Committee approves four nominees, including former Raytheon executive.
The Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday approved by voice vote four nominees for top Pentagon jobs, including Bill Lynn, the Raytheon executive and former company lobbyist who is President Obama's pick to be deputy Defense secretary.
The panel approved Robert Hale to be the Pentagon's chief financial officer, Michele Flournoy to be undersecretary of Defense for policy and Jeh Charles Johnson to be the department's general counsel.
Lynn's nomination had drawn criticism from Senate Armed Services ranking member John McCain, R-Ariz., and other lawmakers concerned about the former lobbyist taking over the Pentagon's No. 2 civilian slot.
McCain dropped his objections, however, after Lynn provided additional details about his lobbying activities and how that might affect his performance in the Pentagon.
But the nominee could face opposition on the floor from Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who has criticized policies Lynn adopted while serving as Pentagon comptroller in the Clinton administration. Those policies, Grassley wrote in a letter to Lynn, "left the barn door open to fraud and mismanagement."
Lynn has responded to Grassley's letter, but Grassley is expected to raise his concerns before the Senate votes on his confirmation.