Sen. Graham Threatens to Hold Up Vote on Hagel, Brennan Nominations
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KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Lindsey Graham says until he knows exactly how President Obama acted immediately after the U.S consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked last Sept. 11, he will attempt to hold up confirmation votes on the White House picks for secretary of defense and CIA director.
Appearing on CBS’ Face the Nation Sunday, the South Carolina Republican said, “We know nothing about what the president did on the night of Sept. 11, during a time of national crisis, and the American people need to know what their commander-in-chief did, if anything, during the eight-hour attack.”
Obama tapped Chuck Hagel to become Pentagon chief and counterterrorism advisor John Brennan as the next director of the nation’s top spy agency. While both men went through contentious hearings, Hagel and Brennan are expected to be confirmed.
However, while Graham has promised not to filibuster their nominations, he seems intent on delaying the vote until the White House releases more details on the consulate assault in Libya that left four Americans dead and put the administration’s credibility about its initial response to the siege into question.
Graham, a steadfast critic of the administration, told Face the Nation, “This was incredibly mismanaged. And what we know now, it seems to be a very disengaged president.”
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