Chuck Hagel Trashed as ‘Unqualified’ by John McCain
Image by getty images
Republican Senator John McCain on Sunday said his former colleague Chuck Hagel was not qualified to be U.S. defense secretary but the Senate would likely vote on his nomination rather than hold it up with procedural hurdles.
Before going on a weeklong recess, Republican lawmakers succeeded in delaying a Senate vote on Hagel’s nomination earlier this month. Hagel is expected to win confirmation if a vote is held because Democrats control 55 votes in the 100-seat Senate.
“I do not believe that Chuck Hagel, who is a friend of mine, is qualified to be secretary of defense,” McCain of Arizona said on CNN’s “State of the Union” show.
“I believe that when the questions are answered, and I believe they will be by this coming week that the president deserves an up or down vote” on Hagel, said McCain, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Hagel’s nomination was likely to go for a vote in the Senate “barring some additional revelation,” he said.
Hagel, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, angered Republicans when as senator he broke from his party by opposing former President George W. Bush’s handling of the Iraq war.
Republicans are demanding more information from the administration related to the attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, last year.
The Senate confirmation vote on John Brennan for CIA director also faces delay over the request by Republicans for more information related to Benghazi.
“I don’t want to put a hold on anybody, but the American people deserve answers about Benghazi. There are so many questions that are still out there, including what was the president doing the night Benghazi happened?” McCain said.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
