Freshman Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), the first openly gay U.S. senator, said Monday she plans to question Chuck Hagel, President Obama’s nominee for secretary of defense, in order to determine whether his apology for anti-gay comments made 14 years ago was “sincere.”
“I do want to speak with him particularly about his comments 14 years ago to see if his apology is sincere and sufficient,” Baldwin said on MSNBC. “I want to hear how he’s evolved on this issue in the last 14 years because the significance to the post to which he’s been nominated is the respect for now openly-gay members of the military who, because of the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ can serve openly. And we need to see that implemented successfully, especially because the security of this nation is at stake in all of these regards.”
Watch:
