<p>US President Donald Trump's most divisive nominee for a senior Pentagon post to date is expected to face a contentious Senate nomination hearing on Thursday, with Democratic lawmakers likely to grill him over remarks they deem Islamophobic.</p>.<p>Anthony Tata, a retired Army brigadier general and ardent defender of Trump on <em>Fox News</em>, would hold the most senior policy position in the Pentagon if confirmed.</p>.<p>Tata has falsely portrayed former President Barack Obama as a Muslim and accused him of being a "terrorist leader" working to benefit Iran, according to now-deleted Twitter posts seen by Reuters.</p>.<p>The White House said it stands by Tata's nomination to fill the position of undersecretary of defence for policy.</p>.<p>"Anthony Tata is a distinguished public servant whose career has provided him with planning, policy, and operational experience both at home and abroad," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.</p>.<p>Tata did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his deleted Twitter posts.</p>.<p>Tata has extensive US military knowledge after serving for nearly three decades, including in a senior role in Afghanistan. However, current and former US defence officials say he has little knowledge of Asia, at a time when Defense Secretary Mark Esper is trying to focus on competition with China.</p>.<p>Tata will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee, whose Democratic members have signalled they would oppose his nomination.</p>.<p>Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren called Tata "by far Trump's most unqualified & ill-suited senior defence nominee – a high bar." She said in a statement that "an Islamophobic conspiracy theorist who called President Obama a 'terrorist leader' should not be #3 at the Pentagon."</p>.<p>While Republican support for Tata is unclear, the Republican chair of the committee, Senator Jim Inhofe, decided to move forward with a confirmation hearing. Republican Senator Kevin Cramer has said he plans to oppose Tata's nomination unless the Pentagon makes changes to an unrelated policy issue.</p>
<p>US President Donald Trump's most divisive nominee for a senior Pentagon post to date is expected to face a contentious Senate nomination hearing on Thursday, with Democratic lawmakers likely to grill him over remarks they deem Islamophobic.</p>.<p>Anthony Tata, a retired Army brigadier general and ardent defender of Trump on <em>Fox News</em>, would hold the most senior policy position in the Pentagon if confirmed.</p>.<p>Tata has falsely portrayed former President Barack Obama as a Muslim and accused him of being a "terrorist leader" working to benefit Iran, according to now-deleted Twitter posts seen by Reuters.</p>.<p>The White House said it stands by Tata's nomination to fill the position of undersecretary of defence for policy.</p>.<p>"Anthony Tata is a distinguished public servant whose career has provided him with planning, policy, and operational experience both at home and abroad," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.</p>.<p>Tata did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his deleted Twitter posts.</p>.<p>Tata has extensive US military knowledge after serving for nearly three decades, including in a senior role in Afghanistan. However, current and former US defence officials say he has little knowledge of Asia, at a time when Defense Secretary Mark Esper is trying to focus on competition with China.</p>.<p>Tata will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee, whose Democratic members have signalled they would oppose his nomination.</p>.<p>Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren called Tata "by far Trump's most unqualified & ill-suited senior defence nominee – a high bar." She said in a statement that "an Islamophobic conspiracy theorist who called President Obama a 'terrorist leader' should not be #3 at the Pentagon."</p>.<p>While Republican support for Tata is unclear, the Republican chair of the committee, Senator Jim Inhofe, decided to move forward with a confirmation hearing. Republican Senator Kevin Cramer has said he plans to oppose Tata's nomination unless the Pentagon makes changes to an unrelated policy issue.</p>