Politics
Senate republicans moving to block Obama defence nominee, Chuck Hagel over Benghazi
U.S. President Barack Obama with former Sen. Chuck Hagel. PHOTO/Salah Malkawi/Getty Images
Senate Democrats and the White House struggled to break an impasse Thursday over Chuck Hagel’s nomination as secretary of defense, with Republicans blocking speedy confirmation of their former colleague and Vietnam combat veteran.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid accused the GOP of filibustering Hagel’s nomination, a move he described as unprecedented for a president’s pick for defense secretary. Reid, D-Nev., needs only a few Republican votes to secure the 60 needed to clear Hagel’s nomination for an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor.
The vote on Hagel was expected Friday, but Senate Republicans want more information about what Obama was doing on the night of the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, in September. The attack killed the U.S. ambassador.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said such a move is unprecedented. He said Republicans notified him Wednesday night they would withhold the votes needed to advance Hagel’s nomination. That strategy would prevent Hagel’s nomination from getting the required 60 votes.
The White House responded on Wednesday to the Republicans’ request for information about Benghazi, Reid said. “But now Republicans say this is not enough,” Reid said. “This is no way to operate.”
Reid filed a motion Wednesday to limit debate and force a full Senate vote.
The White House on Thursday said Obama did not speak to any Libyan government officials until the night after the attack. White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler sent a letter Thursday to three Republican senators saying former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Libyan President Mohamed Magariaf on Obama’s behalf on Sept. 11 to coordinate additional support to protect Americans in Libya.
