Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) argued Sunday that if confirmed as defense secretary, Chuck Hagel will be limited in his ability to do his job because of the dozens of Senate Republicans who will have voted against his nomination.
“He doesn’t have the confidence of the vast majority of the Senate, which weakens him in that position,” Coburn said on “Fox News Sunday,” acknowledging that Hagel is likely to be confirmed this week. “In modern times, we haven’t had one defense secretary that’s had more than three votes against him, and you’re gonna have 40 votes against him, or 35 votes. And that sends a signal to our allies as well as our foes that he does not have broad support in the U.S. Congress, which limits his ability to carry out his job.”
