WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary James Mattis met with members of the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday two months after he was first scheduled to do so, but lawmakers assured him there are no hard feelings.

Mattis, the popular former Marine Corps four-star general, was confirmed overwhelmingly by the Senate in January after Congress approved a special waiver allowing him to forgo a mandatory "cooling off" period between his military retirement and taking over as the civilian head of the Pentagon.

The 66-year-old Cabinet secretary testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the civilian/military issue in mid-January, and had planned to hold a similar public meeting with their House counterparts days later.

But President Donald Trump's transition team pulled Mattis from that scheduled appearance without explanation, and reportedly against the recommendations of Republican leaders and the nominee. The move enraged Democrats, many of whom protested the nomination not because of Mattis' qualifications but because of the lack of transparency.

On Tuesday, free from the constraints of the confirmation process, Mattis spent roughly 90 minutes in a classified session with committee members, both Republicans and Democrats.

Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, would not discuss specifics of the meeting, other to say that the defense budget and military readiness issues were discussed. But he called Mattis "incredibly open" to member questions and said the defense secretary made it clear he wants to work closely with both House and Senate lawmakers in the months to come.

Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith, D-Wash., echoed that the meeting was "helpful and productive" for the lawmakers.

"There are no and never were any bad feelings to bury," he added. "It was never about Mattis."

The former general — Trump still often refers to him publicly by his rank — enjoys a cult-like following among past and present military members, and is well-respected on Capitol Hill. His 44-year military career included a stint as the head of U.S. Central Command and deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mattis is the only Defense Department official confirmed by the Senate since Trump’s inauguration. Trump’s picks for Army and Navy secretary have both withdrawn from the confirmation process in recent weeks due to business conflicts.

Leo Shane III covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He can be reached at lshane@militarytimes.com.

Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.

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