Trump Nominee Pressed on Conflicts of Interest by Sen. Slotkin

Equity and Divestment Concerns

• 📌 Senator Elissa Slotkin questioned Michael A. Obadal, nominee to be Under Secretary of the Army, regarding his equity in Manderol, a company that works with the defense department.
• 💡 Obadal stated he would not divest from all his equity, as Manderol is not a public company, but assured he would adhere to agreements with the Office of Government Ethics and the law.
• ⚖️ Slotkin emphasized the perception problem of conflicts of interest within the administration and requested Obadal's divestment agreement be made public to the committee.

Army Transformation and Potential Conflicts

• 🚀 Slotkin highlighted the army's upcoming transformation initiative, heavily focused on drones and related technologies, an area where Obadal's former company is deeply involved.
• ⚠️ She expressed concern about the perception of injustice among troops if leaders can profit from decisions that soldiers themselves cannot, drawing from her experience as a former CIA officer.
• ✅ Obadal committed to working with the Office of General Counsel on recusal implementation and daily adherence, including regular reviews with OGC, to ensure transparency.

Data Security and Contract Transparency

• 🔒 Slotkin raised concerns about the potential access to sensitive soldier data by Doge, a company that has previously had data mishandled.
• 🤝 Obadal committed to providing the committee with any agreements or structures regarding access to critical information, assuring that the department's ability to safeguard sensitive data, including health records and addresses, would be transparent.
• 📊 The committee was informed that all of Mr. Obadal's information is publicly available on the government ethics website, indicating his adherence to transparency rules.