Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Thursday he has not yet been briefed by the Trump Administration about the problems that have caused Boeing jets to be grounded, CNN reports.
Shanahan told the Senate Armed Services Committee during testimony the day after President Donald Trump announced that all Boeing 737 MAX jets would be grounded indefinitely after Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed last Sunday.
"I'd like to know whether you have spoken about the Boeing 737 Max 8 to anyone in the administration, in the Department of Transportation or in the White House?" Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked during the hearing.
"I've not spoken to anyone regarding the 737 Max," Shanahan, a former Boeing executive who worked at the company for 31 years, said in response.
"Have you been briefed at all on any of the problems relating to it?" Blumenthal asked.
"No, sir, I have not," Shanahan answered.
When asked if he would support an investigation into the problems with the aircraft, and why they were not identified or acted upon earlier.
"I firmly believe we should let the regulators investigate the incidents," he said.
Government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington on Wednesday asked the Department of Defense's inspector general to probe whether Shanahan improperly promoted Boeing products over Lockheed Martin during his time in office.
Shanahan said Thursday he supports that investigation.
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