SENATE ARMED SERVICES VOTE ON HAGEL NOMINATION POSTPONED

The Senate Armed Services Committee has postponed a vote on Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel as GOP members of the panel sought additional information from the former Nebraska senator. In a letter to Hagel, 25 GOP senators yesterday raised concerns about money Hagel may have received from an array of organizations. The letter asks that Hagel disclose all compensation over $5,000 he was paid for the past five years, questioning whether some of the money might have come from foreign sources. Republicans also sought information about speeches made by Hagel in recent years. “Your refusal to respond to this reasonable request suggests either a lack of respect for the Senate’s responsibility to advise and consent or that you are for some reason unwilling to allow this financial disclosure to come to light,” the 25 senators wrote. In a statement yesterday afternoon, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin said he had hoped to hold a vote on Hagel’s nomination this week, perhaps as early as this afternoon. “The committee’s review of the nomination is not yet complete,” Levin said. “I intend to schedule a vote on the nomination as soon as possible.”