Former Trump Defense chief joins CNN as analyst, commentator

Mark Esper, a former defense official for former President Trump, will join CNN as a contributor.

Esper, who served as defense secretary from July 2019 to November 2020, has been hired as a full-time contributor, the agency announced Wednesday. He will serve as an “international situation analyst and political commentator.”

After leaving government, Mr. Esper became a partner and director of the venture capital firm Red Cell Partners, and currently serves on several private capital and public policy committees and works as a corporate consultant.

In a recent guest appearance on CNN, Esper said he agreed with concerns that Trump would retaliate against government officials who criticized or opposed him.

“The president also said a second term would be retaliation, right? So I think all of these are legitimate concerns,” he said.