More than two dozen Republican senators are calling on FBI Director Christopher Wray to open an investigation into Joe Biden’s nominee for a top role in the Pentagon.
In a scathing letter, 18 GOP senators say they want to know if Colin Kahl disclosed or solicited classified information after leaving the Obama administration.
Kahl has been tapped by Biden to be the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and the GOP Senators want to hold the vote until the FBI has conducted a thorough investigation.
Tennessee Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty said: “These disclosures are extremely concerning and warrant a complete FBI investigation to determine the full scope of the nominee’s mishandling of sensitive national security information, apparently for his own perceived political gain.”
Arkansas GOP Sen. Tom Cotton is leading the effort with Hagerty.
Other Republican senators joining the effort are Marco Rubio, John Cornyn, Mike Braun, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Joni Ernst, and Rick Scott.
“Kahl’s growing record of apparent mishandling of classified information and controlled unclassified information and his evasive response regarding this issue falls short of the standard required for holding one of our nation’s top national security positions,” the GOP senators wrote Wray.
“By apparently soliciting or otherwise receiving classified information and controlled unclassified information from U.S. government officials serving in national security roles and repeatedly posting such information on social media websites, Kahl demonstrated disregard for security protocols that are designed to protect our national security interests,” the senators wrote.
In the letter, the senators cite Kahl’s written responses late last month, when he indicated a March 2017 Washington Post story was the source of his Twitter posts, in which he discussed what allegedly were classified details of National Security Council committee meeting about a U.S. operation in Yemen.
The senators said the article Kahl referenced did not account for all of the sensitive contents of his tweets.
They also said Kahl’s tweets later in 2017 appeared to confirm leaked classified information related to military options in North Korea, and later indicated “multiple” then-Trump administration officials had confirmed the information to him.
“This report should be taken very seriously,” Kahl tweeted on Dec. 20, 2017. “There is a contingent at the White House that believes a limited strike is viable and the US can control escalation by threatening regime change if Kim Jong Un retaliates. Very dangerous thinking.”