Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Harry Mason ReidBottom line Filibuster fight looms if Democrats retake Senate Biden unites Democrats — for now MORE (D-Nev.) challenged Republican senators Wednesday to launch a filibuster against President Obama’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, former Sen. Chuck Hagel Charles (Chuck) Timothy HagelWhile our foes deploy hypersonic weapons, Washington debates about funding Hillicon Valley: Democrats request counterintelligence briefing | New pressure for election funding | Republicans urge retaliation against Chinese hackers National security leaders, advocacy groups urge Congress to send election funds to states MORE (R-Neb.).

Reid scolded Republicans for making the threat, and set up a vote to end debate on Hagel for Friday.

“This is first time in the history of our country that a presidential nominee for secretary of Defense has been filibustered,” Reid said on the Senate floor. “What a shame.”

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Republicans said they want to delay an up-or-down vote on Hagel in order to get information on who has compensated him for paid speeches. They also want to see some of Hagel’s speeches, which GOP Sen. Ted Cruz Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzHealth care in the crosshairs with new Trump Supreme Court list 'Parks and Rec' cast members hosting special reunion to raise money for Wisconsin Democrats Jimmy Carter says his son smoked pot with Willie Nelson on White House roof MORE (Texas) at a panel hearing on Tuesday said may have been given to “extreme or radical groups.”

A few senators are also using Hagel’s nomination to demand answers from the White House about last year’s Benghazi, Libya, attack.

It is unclear whether Republicans can maintain a filibuster against Hagel, who appears to have support from the 55 senators caucusing with Democrats.

Republican senators said they were confident they had 41 votes to block a vote on Hagel’s nomination this week, even though two Republicans, Sens. Mike Johanns Michael (Mike) Owen JohannsMeet the Democratic sleeper candidate gunning for Senate in Nebraska Farmers, tax incentives can ease the pain of a smaller farm bill Lobbying World MORE (Neb.) and Thad Cochran William (Thad) Thad CochranEspy wins Mississippi Senate Democratic primary Bottom Line Mike Espy announces Mississippi Senate bid MORE (Miss.), are on record as supporting Hagel. Several other GOP senators have said they are opposed to filibustering a Cabinet nominee.

“I think there are enough of us that believe there’s more information to receive from the administration, and I think there’s more benefit to waiting 10 days than there is to proceeding on in a hurried manner,” said Sen. Roger Wicker Roger Frederick WickerHillicon Valley: Election officials prepare for new Russian interference battle | 'Markeyverse' of online fans helps take down a Kennedy | GOP senators unveil bill to update tech liability protections GOP senators unveil new bill to update tech liability protections Poisoning of Putin opponent could test US-Moscow relationship MORE (R-Miss.).

Sen. Susan Collins Susan Margaret CollinsGOP short of votes on Trump's controversial Fed pick Congress must save the Postal Service from collapse — our economy depends on it Garcetti: I would have acted sooner if Trump hadn't downplayed virus MORE (R-Maine), however, said Wednesday that while she would vote against Hagel’s nomination, she would vote with the Democrats for cloture.

Whether Republicans will be able to successfully block Hagel’s confirmation this week is likely to be determined by senior Republicans who are concerned about the precedent such a move would set.

“If we can’t get reasonable requests fulfilled, it looks like I would vote against cloture,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch Orrin Grant HatchBottom line Bottom line Senate GOP divided over whether they'd fill Supreme Court vacancy MORE (Utah), who previously had expressed opposition to a filibuster of Hagel. “Not because it’s a filibuster, but because we’re not getting cooperation. And I think we’ve got to have cooperation in these kinds of situations.”

Sen. Lamar Alexander Andrew (Lamar) Lamar AlexanderNow is the time to renew our focus on students and their futures CDC says asymptomatic people don't need testing, draws criticism from experts Davis: The Hall of Shame for GOP senators who remain silent on Donald Trump MORE (R-Tenn.) has also said he opposes a filibuster of Hagel, but told reporters Wednesday he was open to voting against cloture this week.

“I’ve said many times I won’t use a filibuster to deny a Cabinet member a seat, but I think we ought to take the time to give senators who have reasonable questions a chance to have those questions considered, and I don’t think we’re at that point yet,” Alexander said.

Another senator to watch is Sen. John McCain John Sidney McCainCOVID response shows a way forward on private gun sale checks Trump pulls into must-win Arizona trailing in polls Nonprofit 9/11 Day bashes Trump for airing political ads on Sept. 11 anniversary MORE (R-Ariz.), who has previously said that he was opposed to filibustering Hagel because it would set a “bad precedent.”

McCain said Wednesday that he would consider blocking a vote on Hagel unless the White House answered questions that he and Sens. Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin GrahamGOP senators say coronavirus deal dead until after election Tucker Carlson accuses Lindsey Graham of convincing Trump to talk to Woodward Trump courts Florida voters with moratorium on offshore drilling MORE (R-S.C.) and Kelly Ayotte Kelly Ann AyotteBottom line Bottom line Bottom Line MORE (R-N.H.) posed on Obama’s role responding to the Benghazi attack.

Graham has also threatened to block Hagel’s nomination over the outstanding questions.

“I will decide that [based on] whether I get the answer,” McCain told reporters Wednesday. Asked what he would do if he does not get a response, McCain said: “I’m not answering any ifs today.”

Democrats said they think they can win 60 votes.

“I’m optimistic there will be 60,” said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin Carl Milton LevinMichigan to pay 0M to victims of Flint water crisis Unintended consequences of killing the filibuster Inspector general independence must be a bipartisan priority in 2020 MORE (D-Mich.), who rejected GOP requests to delay Tuesday’s committee vote over the requests for more financial documents.

Given Johanns and Cochran’s support for Hagel, and Collins’s opposition to a filibuster, one official close to Hagel said it was hard to see how a filibuster could be maintained.

“It’s almost inconceivable to think there aren’t two more Republicans who don’t believe the Senate should take the unprecedented step of filibustering a Defense secretary nominee,” the official said. “It’s a numbers game.”

Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn John Cornyn'Top Chef' star Tom Colicchio presses Congress to boost SNAP benefits during pandemic NJ governor designates Juneteenth as state holiday The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by National Industries for the Blind - Prudent or 'pathetic'? GOP senators plan to vote on coronavirus relief Thursday MORE (R-Texas), who was one of the earliest opponents of Hagel’s nomination, hedged his bets Wednesday over whether Republicans had the votes to block Hagel this week.

“I’m not going to speculate about that move, but we’ll see,” Cornyn told The Hill.

Republicans took pains on Wednesday to argue holding up Hagel for more information wasn’t really a filibuster because they would eventually allow his nomination to be considered in an up-or-down vote.

Cornyn said Republicans weren’t filibustering because they were not trying to block the nomination, only to delay it because “there’s still a desire to get responses to the legitimate questions that have been asked.”

“When you deny cloture, that doesn’t mean that the nomination is doomed. It just means the debate will continue and there will be more time given to negotiate,” Cornyn told The Hill.

Levin, however, argued that any move to force a cloture vote would be a filibuster, which has never occurred for a Defense secretary nominee.

“If they require a cloture vote, that’s either a filibuster or the threat of a filibuster,” Levin said.

The filibuster fight is just the latest chapter in Hagel’s contentious nomination.

The Armed Services Committee held a raucous session on Tuesday before approving Hagel on a 14-11 party-line vote, in which Sen. Bill Nelson Clarence (Bill) William NelsonDemocrats sound alarm on possible election chaos Trump, facing trouble in Florida, goes all in NASA names DC headquarters after agency's first Black female engineer Mary W. Jackson MORE (D-Fla.) accused Cruz of “going over the line” with accusations about alleged connections that Hagel had with foreign governments.

Levin said Tuesday that Republicans were holding Hagel to a different standard than all previous Defense secretary nominees.

“We’re not going to single out one nominee for this kind of disparate treatment,” Levin said.





Published at 4:30 p.m. and updated at 8:28 p.m.