After threatening to hold up President Obama's nomination for defense secretary, some Republican senators are easing up on their opposition now that the White House has responded to questions about the terror attack against the U.S. diplomatic post in Libya.
The White House sent a letter to Capitol Hill Thursday stating that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Libyan President Mohammed Magariaf the same night as the attarck. President Obama, according to the letter, did not make a call to the Libyan president until the evening of the day following the violence.
Before committing to vote on Hagel's nomination, three GOP senators--Sens. Lindsey Graham, John McCain and Kelly Ayotte--had demanded answers about the attack in a letter Tuesday to the Obama administration. Graham publicly stated that he was specifically asking whether Obama called Libyan officials on the night of the attack against the consulate in Benghazi, which left four Americans dead.
The administration had been wary of responding--saying the GOP was simply moving goal posts--but the response was a sign they were losing patience and getting nervous about the Hagel nomination.
Showing further scramble on the part of the White House to keep Hagel afloat in the confirmation process, Vice President Joe Biden was making calls Thursday to Republican senators about the nominee, according to a senior Democratic source.
Hagel, who's battled his way through a rocky nomination process, faces an uncertain outcome for the Senate's critical vote on his nomination. Democrats were at one point confident they had the 60 votes needed to stop a potential GOP filibuster, but concerns escalated Wednesday when McCain said he was reconsidering his previous comitment to vote against a filibuster.
The vote was originally set for Friday but now Republican and Democratic Senate sources say they are considering the idea of delaying the vote until after recess. That would give Republicans more time, but then ultimately allow the vote with a 51 vote threshold--instead of the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster.
McCain, R-Arizona, said he was satisfied with the answers the White House provided to questions about Benghazi and that he is now in negotiations to get answers about Hagel's finances that other GOP senators are seeking.
"I think it was an adequate response, yes," McCain said about the Benghazi matter. "We are working on and having negotiations now trying to smooth this thing out and get it done."
Asked if the satisfactory response on Benghazi was enough for him to vote to break the filibuster, McCain indicated not yet.
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