Colin Kahl: Harris Casts First Tie-Breaking Vote for Biden Nominee After Senate Splits on Pentagon Choice

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The Senate stalled 50-50 in a straight party-line procedural vote to dismiss Kahl’s nomination by the Armed Services Committee, forcing Harris to cut ties. She will likely have to cast two more casting votes on Kahl’s nomination before he is confirmed in the No. 3 civilian position in the Pentagon.

Harris was on Capitol Hill earlier Wednesday awaiting a possible tie-breaking vote on another candidate, until GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joined the Democrats to support Vanita Gupta’s nomination as deputy attorney general. Gupta was confirmed by the Senate by 51-49.

But the Republicans were united in their opposition to Kahl. In a controversial hearing, they criticized Kahl for his tweets during the Trump administration, including statements that the “Republican Party has humiliated itself at Trump’s altar” and that the GOP was the party of “ethnic cleansing,” in response to a story. about Syria. Kahl apologized to Republican senators for using “sometimes disrespectful” language in tweets.

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“Republicans on the committee did not vote against Dr. Kahl simply because we disagreed with his policy views,” said Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe, the most senior Republican on the Senate Armed Forces Committee. “Good and kind people cannot agree – they don’t have to resort to name calling, ad hominem attacks and war crimes allegations.”

Republicans have also accused Kahl of potentially disclosing classified information, and a group of 18 GOP senators sent a letter to the FBI last week calling for an investigation into his tweets that they believe discussed classified information.

However, Democrats have rejected the GOP’s concerns and have gone ahead with Kahl’s nomination. And unlike Neera Tanden’s nomination as President Joe Biden’s budget director – which was sunk thanks to opposition from Senator Joe Manchin – the West Virginia Democrat backed Kahl’s nomination to the committee, but nearly sealed his confirmation.

Manchin told CNN last month that Kahl’s tweets weren’t as “targeted” at specific individuals and senators and were much more focused on policy.

Kahl’s nomination stalled in the Armed Services Committee, 13-13, which is why Wednesday’s procedural vote was needed to discharge the committee’s nomination to the Senate floor.

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