Joe Biden's team is talking with people who worked for former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis about helping with the transition at the Pentagon and possibly serving in the new administration, Politico reported.
Citing three unnamed sources, the news outlet reported Biden’s looking to put together a bipartisan Defense Department leadership team — and will reach out to more former officials appointed by Mattis to talk about the transition and potentially serving.
Politico noted that since earlier this year, the White House has been purging Pentagon officials who were deemed insufficiently loyal to the White House, installing those who could be counted on to carry out President Donald Trump’s wishes.
''Essentially, everyone that would have been helpful has left the Pentagon by retiring or being fired,'' an unnamed former official told the news outlet.
Mattis, a retired Marine Corps four-star general, was confirmed nearly unanimously as Trump's first defense secretary in January 2017 and is well-regarded on both sides of the aisle, Politico noted. Mattis resigned in December 2018.
Some former Mattis officials have also reached out proactively to the Biden team to offer advice, Politico reported.
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