Hagel Refuses To Disclose Foreign Funding To Senate

President Obama's pick for Secretary of Defense has a new problem.

Former Senator Chuck Hagel is reportedly refusing to release any details on foreign funding or disclose other necessary financial information to the Senate Armed Services Committee:

"President Barack Obama's nominee for Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, has informed the Senate Armed Services Committee that he will not provide foreign financial details for the corporate and nonprofit organizations he was affiliated with since he left the Senate in 2009," reports BuzzFeed.

Hagel maintains that he has a "fiduciary duty" to keep "confidentiality" of his and his organization's donors.

A Senate aide tells BuzzFeed, "Senators are not reacting well to [Hagel's] response."

The aide details, "Committee members have specific concerns with regard to foreign contributions to the Atlantic Council by Saad Hariri (or the Hariri family), Dinu Patriciu, Kazakhstan, Bidzina Ivanishvili (his supporters/network) – and the nexus between Chevron's investments in Kazakhstan and their involvement with Hagel at the Atlantic Council."

I'll just bet he can't reveal who's paying the bills. As one of my Notorious Lil' Birdies e-mailed me, Hagel is so far in the tank for Iran that he ought to be forced to register as a foreign lobbyist.

Corrupt as well as clueless. Is the Senate really going to actually confirm this man for a cabinet position? Unfortunately, I wouldn't be at all surprised.