If President Biden is going to have his former national security aide take up the top policy job in the Pentagon, Vice President Kamala Harris may have to pull the nominee across the finish line.
The Senate is set to vote Tuesday on the nomination of Colin Kahl to serve as the undersecretary for policy in the Department of Defense, traditionally one of the most influential strategic posts in the Pentagon. But because of unified Republican opposition to him, Ms. Harris might need to cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm his bumpy nomination.
She already was forced to break the tie when Mr. Kahl was caught in the middle of a deadlocked 50-50 vote so his nomination could get out of the Senate Armed Services Committee and onto the floor.
Mr. Kahl has drawn opposition from Republicans for his support of the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal and his sharp criticism of the national security policies of the Trump administration. He also was accused of issuing a number of harsh and derogatory Twitter messages.
In mid-April, a group of 18 GOP senators sent a letter to the FBI asking them to investigate Mr. Kahl for allegedly disclosing classified information.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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