Is Ashton Carter The Next U.S. Secretary of Defense. Or A False Story?

An Italian journalist created a fake Twitter account in the name of likely US Defense Secretary nominee Ashton Carter on Tuesday, fooling reporters and bringing a torrent of phone calls to the White House and the Pentagon

White House Won't Confirm Nomination Of Former Pentagon Official Ashton Carter As Defense Secretary After A FAKE Twitter Account Broke News Of His Selection -- Daily Mail

* White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest refused to say if Carter would be the next secretary of defense
* An Italian journalist-hoaxer had claimed to be the former deputy secretary and tweeted about a nonexistent phone call from President Barack Obama
* Tommasso Debenedetti has a history of fooling media into publishing fake interviews with famous authors and has fake-tweeted as world leaders
* Obama is believed to be preparing to name Carter as his next defense secretary, replacing the embattled Chuck Hagel
* Carter has never served in the active military but emerged as a front-runner after several of the most logical picks said they didn't want the job

The Obama administration went into bunker mode on Tuesday after news leaked that the president had selected former Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter as his next Pentagon chief.

An Italian Internet hoaxer created a fake Twitter account in Carter's name Tuesday morning and tweeted that he had gotten the job. And two major news outlets claimed to have inside information that the Carter pick was a done deal.

But White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest was tight-lipped in his press briefing.

'What I can tell you is – not much,' he told reporters. 'Mr. Carter is obviously somebody who has generated a lot of headlines today.'

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Update: Pentagon Won’t Confirm Ashton Carter is Next Defense Secretary -- DoD Buzz

My Comment: After Michele Flournoy announced that she did not want the job .... Ashton Carter was (and is) my #2 pick. I still expect President Obama to nominate him in the few days/weeks, and I do expect the new U.S. Senate to approve his nomination at the beginning of 2015.