Mattis has only been out of the military for four years, not the seven years required by law, so Congress would have to design a workaround—and a senator and a senior congressional staffer both tell The Daily Beast that they’re working on it. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the still-evolving matter.
Retired four-star Gen. David Petraeus is also in the running for the top defense post—and he also hasn’t been out of uniform long enough to legally serve as defense secretary—but the sources say Mattis has been the main focus of the discussions in Congress.
“It would require a waiver, but that has happened in the past,” McCain said.
“As dire a situation as it is, I think he is by far the most qualified individual,” said McCain, long a critic of the Trump campaign, did not explain whether “dire” referred to the ongoing fight against the so-called Islamic State, or his personal outlook on a Trump administration to come.
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