Hagel Vote Delayed Over Foreign Funding Concerns

Fox News reports that the Senate Armed Services Committee has delayed a vote on Chuck Hagel's nomination to be the next Secretary of Defense, after the former Senator declined to provide requested information about years of speaking fees which may have been linked to foreign entities. A Senate letter outlining Republican concerns, and signed by 23 Senators including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Whip John Cornyn, described Hagel's refusal to meet "reasonable request[s]" as a function either of "a lack of respect for the Senate’s responsibility to advise and consent" or as evidence that Hagel is "for some reason unwilling to allow this financial disclosure to come to light." The skirmish over disclosure comes in the aftermath of a confirmation hearing in front of SASC that Hagel can most generously be described as having fumbled.