GOP votes against Hagel increase

Twelve Republican senators now say they will vote against former Sen. Chuck Hagel’s (R-Neb.) confirmation as Defense secretary. 

Sens. Roy Blunt (Mo.), Mark Kirk (Ill.) and Richard Burr (N.C.) became the latest “no” votes on Friday, saying they would oppose Hagel’s nomination one day after a shaky confirmation hearing in which Hagel was grilled by Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee. 

Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Dan Coats (Ind.) said Thursday
they were voting against Hagel.

Several more Republicans, including Sen. Lindsey Graham
(S.C.), haven’t said how they will vote, but are clearly
leaning against voting to confirm him.

{mosads}Blunt cited Hagel’s testimony before the Senate Armed
Services Committee on Thursday in explaining his decision.

“Senator Hagel’s answers before the committee were simply
too inconsistent, particularly as they related to Iran and Israel,” Blunt said
in a statement. “The idea that we can contain a nuclear Iran and his view that
we should not have unilateral sanctions are just wrong and are too dangerous
for us to try.”

Kirk also cited the testimony in suggesting he’d been troubled by Hagel’s initial description of Iran’s government as being legitimate and elected.

“During yesterday’s confirmation hearing, Senator Hagel instinctively called the Iranian government both elected and legitimate,” Kirk said in a statement. “He initially offered strong support for containment of Iran, rather than President Obama’s stated policy of preventing an Iranian nuclear breakout. He could not clearly explain his past opposition to unilateral sanctions against Iran – opposition as recent as 2008.”

Blunt, who will also vote on Hagel’s confirmation in the Armed Services
Committee, stopped short of supporting a filibuster of Hagel on the Senate
floor.

“My strong inclination would be that this is a vote that
should be done by a majority rather than a 60-vote standard,” Blunt said on
MSNBC.

Thus far, no Republican has threatened to filibuster Hagel’s
nomination.

Without a filibuster, Hagel is likely to be confirmed. No Democrats have said they will vote against him, and they enjoy a 55-45 advantage
in the Senate. That suggests the confirmation vote will be mostly along party
lines — rare for a Defense secretary confirmation — with few Republicans
supporting their former Senate colleague.

Sen. Thad Cochran (Miss.) is the only Republican
who has said publicly he supports Hagel.

The other Republicans who have said they will vote against Hagel are Sens. John Cornyn (Texas), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ted Cruz (Texas), David Vitter (La.), Roger Wicker (Miss.), Pat Roberts (Kan.) and Tom Coburn (Okla.).

Burr said in a statement that Thursday’s hearing reiterated
“many of the concerns I had about his confirmation,” according to WWAY.

“After reviewing the hearing, and Sen. Hagel’s answers to
the questions put to him, it is clear that I cannot support his nomination, and
I will vote against his nomination should it reach the Senate floor,” Burr
said.

— Published at 11:43 a.m. and updated at 3:10 p.m.