President-elect Joe Biden’s long-expected pick for defense secretary, Michele Flournoy, was markedly absent from a list of announced national security appointees Monday and did not partake in a press conference put on by the transition team on Tuesday.
Two former senior officials in contact with the Biden transition team confirmed to Al-Monitor that the pick is still under consideration. So far, reasons for the apparent delay are not entirely clear, though reports circulated that pressure from the Democratic Party’s left flank may have played a role.
