WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, opposed the confirmation of Colin Kahl, President Joe Biden’s nominee to be Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, for improperly disclosing classified information and confirming classified leaks on social media. Hagerty, along with 17 other Senators, has requested an FBI investigation into the nominee’s conduct.
“All of my Democrat colleagues have chosen to jeopardize our national security and place Colin Kahl, a known leaker of classified information, as the Pentagon’s third highest-ranking civilian. Instead of simply waiting for the FBI investigation, Senate Democrats, with the help of the Vice President last week, chose to force a nominee through whose judgment and temperament are unfit for the job. I fear this is a sad victory for America’s adversaries around the world.”
Hagerty spoke on the Senate floor last week about his serious concerns with Kahl.