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Sen. Blunt says he'll vote 'no' on Hagel

Sen.
Former Senator Chuck Hagel testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his nomination to be Defense Secretary, on January 31, 2013. (Photo by Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
Former Senator Chuck Hagel testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his nomination to be Defense Secretary, on January 31, 2013.

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., is joining a growing list of GOP senators who plan to vote against former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel’s nomination for Defense Secretary.

Breaking the news on The Daily Rundown Friday, Sen. Blunt told Chuck Todd he would not vote for Hagel.

“I’ve thought about this a lot since [the hearing],” said Blunt, “I will be voting ‘no’ in the committee and then assuming there’s a vote on the floor, I’ll vote 'no' on the floor.”

However, Blunt did signal that he would not support a filibuster against Hagel.

“This is a vote that should be done by a majority rather than a 60 vote standard,” Sen. Blunt told Chuck.

Nearly a dozen GOP senators now say they will not vote the Hagel. The list includes including Sens. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., is the only Republican to come out in support of the nominee so far.

You can watch the rest of Chuck’s interview with Sen. Blunt here: