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Ernst Calls for FBI Investigation into Biden Pentagon Nominee

The combat veteran and her colleagues also sent a copy of their request to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and requested that he not advance President Biden’s nominee to be Under SecDef for Policy until the FBI completes investigation.

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), the Republican leader of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, joined her Senate colleagues in asking the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for an immediate investigation into whether Dr. Colin Kahl—President Joe Biden’s nominee to be Under Secretary of Defense for Policy—publicly disclosed classified information and controlled unclassified information after leaving government employment.
 
In a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, Ernst and her colleagues write, “Kahl’s growing record of apparent mishandling of classified information and controlled unclassified information and his evasive response regarding this issue fall short of the standard required for holding one of our nation’s top national security positions. 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.”
 
For the full letter, click here.
 
At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Senator Ernst pressed Kahl on his concerning social media posts and commentary—particularly regarding Iran.
 
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