Senate confirms Lynn as Deputy Secretary

The Senate confirmed William Lynn as the new deputy secretary of defense Feb. 11 by an overwhelming majority vote, reports Defense News.

Lynn was confirmed in a 93-4 vote despite earlier concerns expressed by members of the Armed Services Committee and a last-minute plea from Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) that the former executive of Raytheon Co. should withdraw himself from consideration because of his recent employment with the Pentagon contractor.

Lynn was nominated to become the deputy to Defense Secretary Robert Gates even though his recent service as a lobbyist violated the strict new ethics code installed by the Obama administration. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget granted Lynn a waiver from the rules on Jan. 23, mollifying senators who pointed out the discrepancy.