Mark Green, the Republican state senator from Tennessee picked by Donald Trump to be army secretary, withdrew from consideration on Friday.
Green stepped aside amid intensifying criticism over his remarks about LGBT Americans and Muslims. He is the second Trump nominee for army secretary to withdraw.
Several Democrats have denounced Green for declaring that being transgender is a disease. Green was vehemently opposed to the guidance issued by Barack Obama allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice. In explaining his views, he cited a religious obligation to “crush evil”.
“There are 300,000 rapes in the United States every year,” Green said last year. “To think that some young guy isn’t going to take advantage of the system where we’re going to allow guys to go into the bathroom – the women’s bathroom – to think that it’s not going to happen is just ridiculous.”
He is opposed to gay marriage and sponsored legislation designed to protect businesses that lack nondiscrimination protections on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Green would have replaced the Eric Fanning, who under Obama became the first openly gay person to serve as army secretary.
Green said in a statement on Friday that “false and misleading attacks” against him had made his nomination a distraction. He said his life of public service and Christian beliefs had been mischaracterized for political gain.
During a speech last September, Green urged that a stand be taken against “the indoctrination of Islam” in public schools. He also referred to the “Muslim horde” that invaded Constantinople centuries ago.
Some Republicans also voiced doubts about Green’s nomination. The Arizona senator John McCain, the chairman of the Senate armed services committee, which oversees the army secretary nomination, said Trump’s choice had generated “a lot of controversy.”
“Some of the comments that have been attributed to him obviously are very concerning,” McCain told USA Today earlier this week.
In a statement released on Friday the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, said Green’s withdrawal was “good news for all Americans, especially those who were personally vilified by his disparaging comments directed toward the LGBTQ community, Muslim community, Latino community and more”.
Schumer added: “It is because of the advocacy community’s hard work that Mr Green decided to remove his hat from the ring and it is now my hope that President Trump will take these views into consideration and nominate someone who can faithfully lead and represent all members of the US army.”
Trump’s first pick for army secretary, the West Point graduate, millionaire businessman and sports team owner Vincent Viola, withdrew from consideration in February, reportedly due to an inability to get around defense department rules concerning his businesses.
Trump’s pick to be secretary of the navy, Philip Bilden, also withdrew from consideration, citing likely disruption to his privacy and financial interests.
