Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, said he is reserving judgment until after the hearings, and Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, Maryland Democrat, said he and other lawmakers “have questions that have to be answered” on Mr. Hagel’s stance on Iran and Israel.
One Democrat with a strong military background and the respect of the defense community, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, is squarely behind Mr. Hagel and could be critical to shepherding the nomination through the Senate.
“The president is going to throw everything he has at winning this nomination and to ask Democrats to stay with him,” Mr. Griffin said. “It would have a price not an insurmountable price, but it’s definitely something the president wants to avoid.”
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Susan Crabtree is an award-winning investigative reporter with more than 15 years of reporting experience in Washington, D.C. Her reporting about bribery, corruption and conflict-of-interest issues on Capitol Hill has led to several FBI and ethics investigations, as well as consequences for members within their caucuses and at the ballot box. Susan can be reached at scrabtree@washingtontimes.com.
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