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Republicans ready to grill Hagel on Secretary of Defense position
In Washington Monday morning Republicans are preparing to grill one of their own. Sources tell us today President Obama will nominate former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary.
But already - that's not sitting well with many of Hagel's Republican colleagues. New this morning: President Obama's expected to nominate his top counterterroism advisor - John Brennan - to head the CIA. Brennan's worked for the agency 25 years, but withdrew his name from consideration for the top job in 2008 after questions about whether he supported controversial interrogation techniques under the Bush administration. Also to be nominated Monday: former Senator Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense. "I think it will be a lot of tough questions of Senator Hagel...." A purple heart veteran, wounded in Vietnam, Hagel's a moderate Republican who criticized the Iraq troop surge, opposed unilateral sanctions against Iran, referred to pro-Israel groups as "the Jewish lobby" and once said being gay inhibits effectiveness. "He apologized for it." Republicans call him a controversial - "in your face" pick: "Chuck Hagel, if confirmed to be Secretary of Defense, would be the most antagonistic Secretary of Defense towards the State of Israel in our nation's history." If confirmed, Hagel would oversee the wind-down of troops in Afghanistan, a war he supported, then criticized. Republicans are planning to throw him tough questions and - pledging to be fair - stopped short of saying they'd block this nomination. No word yet how soon those confirmation hearings would happen. |
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