US President Donald Trump’s choice for army secretary announced on Friday that he is withdrawing his name from consideration. “It is with deep regret today I am withdrawing my nomination to be the secretary of the Army,” Mark Green said in a statement, CNN reported. The decision by Green, Trump’s second pick for the post, came after his nomination ran into trouble following a backlash after past controversial statements on Islam and evolution were revealed. Green explained his decision to pull out from a military leadership position in the wake of this controversy. “To meet these challenges, there should be no distractions. And unfortunately due to false and misleading attacks against me, this nomination has become a distraction,” he said in his statement. Both the White House and Pentagon had told reporters earlier Friday there was nothing to announce regarding Green’s nomination. Green, currently a state senator in Tennessee, faced rising opposition from Democrats for his past comments about transgender people. Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and John McCain have also expressed concern over Green’s past comments.
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