Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has withdrawn from consideration to lead the Pentagon on a permanent basis, President Trump announced Tuesday.

Trump said in a pair of tweets Shanahan wanted to “devote more time to his family.” The announcement came after USA Today published the details of a 2010 violent domestic dispute with his then-wife that was investigated by the FBI during his background check.

“Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, who has done a wonderful job, has decided not to go forward with his confirmation process so that he can devote more time to his family,” Trump tweeted. 

The president said he would name Mark Esper, who currently serves as secretary of the Army, as the new acting Defense chief, but did not say if he would be nominated for the permanent role. Esper is a former infantry officer and top executive at the defense contractor Raytheon.

Shanahan has served as acting secretary since January. The former longtime Boeing executive joined the Pentagon in 2017 as deputy secretary. Read more at The Hill