In 2012, Ted Cruz was elected as the 34th U.S. Senator from Texas. A passionate fighter for limited government, economic growth, and the Constitution, Ted won a decisive victory in both the Republican primary and the general election, despite having never before been elected to office. Senator Cruze questioned former Nebraska senator Chuck Hagel, nominated by President Obama to be the Secretary of Defense.
Grave concerns about Chuck Hagels past comments and current view have arisen in regards to our strong and faithful ally, Israel, and the growing menace, Iran, as the illegitimate regime quickly approaches the final phase in the nuclear program, weaponized grade uranium and has promised to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Chuch Hagel has acknowledged the current government of Iran as “legitimate”.
Senator Ted Cruze: “Thank you, Mister Chairman. Senator Hagel, I want to thank you for being here and I want to begin by thanking you for your honorable service to our nation, for your personal sacrifice that you have put into standing and fighting for this country.
“I would like to begin by addressing the question of process. In your prepared statements today, you described that you have given hundreds of speeches and interviews. This committee asked you in this process to submit those speeches of the last five years, and in response to that, you handed over a total of four speeches. I
n my view, that submission was facially insufficient for this committee to assess your record. Indeed, your financial disclosure revealed you had received paid honoraria in the past year for twelve speeches and yet you did not even hand over the those speeches for which you were paid substantial sums of money. Beyond that, two days ago six senators, including ranking member Inha, sent you a letter asking for financial disclosure.
You have not chosen to respond to that letter. That letter in particular asked about the private organizations that have paid you over the past five years and the degree to which any of those funding sources have come from foreign countries, foreign nationals, foreign sovereign debt funds. You chose not to respond to that letter. In my view, unless and until you respond to the request of members of this committee, this committee does not have a proper record on which to assess your confirmation and I think we need to submit this committee. This committee does not have a proper record on which to assess your confirmation and I think we need full disclosure and adequate time to assess.
“I’d like to ask initially a point of clarification. With respect to the International Criminal Court, do you believe the United States should become a party to the International Criminal Court?”
Hagel: “Senator, may I quickly respond to your first comment?”
Cruze: “No, I’d like you to answer my question; my time is limited.”
Hagel: “That question is one that I will most likely not going to be dealing with as Secretary of Defense.”
Cruze: “It’s a simple question: do you think we should be a member of the International Criminal Court? I’m asking for your judgment on whether the united states should be a party of the Criminal Court?”
Hagel: “I support where the United States is today.”
Cruze: “So we are not a party today. You think we should not be a party. Is that you had a correct statement your position?
Hagel: “Yes.”
Cruze: “Thank you. I’d like to draw your attention to an interview you did in two thousand nine with Al-Jazeera, and with the Chairman’s indulgence, if we can play an excerpt of that interview.”
Recording:
Announcer: “This is Mori, from London. Go ahead with your question.”
Caller: “Good evening. It’s a very good proposition. But I believe, very strongly I believe, that our leadership around the world, there is a moral failure going on. They don’t have the moral capacity to talk and do what they talk. For example, if you look at Palastine, there is no, there is a war crime and they are not dealing with it, but in Sudan, they are dealing with it. And they are really [fuzzy]. And if you look at [fuzzy] the [people] being killed, the genocidal war going on in Sri Lanka, nothing being done. So there is…”
Announcer: “So Mori, what is your question with regards to the issue we are talking about, the reduction of…?”
Caller: “My question is that the leader, the total moral failure of [fuzzy] leaders with the moral stand that nothing can be done. That is my question, what do you think about it?”
Announcer: “Well, thank you, let me put that to the Senator.”
Hagel: “Well, I think you’re exactly right and I said in my opening statement that that leadership is critical, because we know in life that nothing is even accomplished without that leadership.”
Cruze: “Now in that excerpt, Senator Hagel, the caller suggests that the nation of Israel has committed war crimes and your response to that was not to dispute that characterization, but indeed to describe what he said as ‘Well, I think that’s exactly right.’ I’d like to ask you, do you think the nation of Israel has committed war crimes?”
Hagel: “No, no I do not, Senator. I’d want to look at the full context of the entry, but to answer your question, no.”
Cruze: “The context of that question, we played the entirety other than I wanted to give you that context that you can hear the question and you can hear your response. I would suggest that a suggestion that Israel has committed war crimes is particularly offensive given that the Jewish people suffered under the most horrific war crimes in the Holocaust, and I would also suggest that for the Secretary of Defense or perspective Secretary of Defense not to take issue with that claim is highly troubling. I’d also point out in two thousand six, your characterization of the nation of Israel’s action, and that was in a speech on the floor of the Senate, you referred to Israel’s military campaign against the terrorist group Hezbollah as a ‘sickening slaughter,’ and I would suggest the characterizations… Do you think it’s right that Israel was committing a ‘sickening slaughter’ as you said on the floor the senate.”
Hagel: “Well I think again, I would want to read all of it, what I said. First, I’ve said many many times, Senator, every nation has right to defend itself.”
Cruze: “Do you think a ‘sickening slaughter’ would constitute a war crime?”
Hagel: “No. Depends on [whether] they were attacked, depends on of many factors. If Israel was defending itself there was slaughter going on on both sides but…”
Cruze: “Does one typically characterize defending yourself against terrorism as ‘sickening slaughter?’”
Hagel: “…going on and on both sides…”
Cruze: “Does one typically characterize defending yourself against terrorism as ‘sickening slaughter?’”
Hagel: “No, but again, Senator, I’d want to look at everything because…”
Cruze: “Okay, well, let’s look at another excerpt from the same interview we can play the second excerpt.”
Recording:
Announcer: “We’ve gotten an email from Wendy Day, she writes to us from Georgia here in the United States. She writes: ‘Can the rest of the world be persuaded to give up their arsenal when the image of the United States is that of the world’s bully. Don’t we indeed need to change the perception and reality before asking folks to lay down their arms, nuclear or otherwise?’”
Hagel: “Well, her observation is a good one and it’s relevant. Yes, to her question.”
Cruze: “Senator Hagel: do you think it’s appropriate for the chief civilian leader of the U.S. military forces to agree with the statement that both the perception (quote) ‘ and the reality’ is that the United States is (quote) ‘the World’s Bully?’”
Hagel: “I didn’t hear her say that, by the way, the United States, and I think my comment was it’s relevant and a good observation. I don’t think I said I agree with it.”
Cruze: “With respect, I think the record speaks for itself. It was in writing that she said the U.S. is the world’s bully, that it is the reality, and your response: you did say you agree with it. You said her observation is a good one, it’s relevant, yes to her question. You explicitly agreed with the characterization of the United States as is the world’s bully, and I would suggest that is not a characterization. I think the United States has spilled more blood, more treasure, standing for freedom, liberating people across the world and to go on Al-Jazeera, a foreign network, broadcasting propaganda to nations that are hostile to us and to explicitly agree with the characterization of the United States as the world’s bully, I would suggest is not the conduct one would expect of the Secretary of Defense.
Hagel: “Senator, she said that was an observation.”
Cruze: “I will point out that her quote was ‘the perception and the reality,’ and with that my time has expired; I look forward to a second round of questions.”