"I have placed a hold on the nomination of John Brennan

to serve as director of the CIA until he answers the question of whether or not the President can kill American citizens through the drone strike program on US soil," Paul said. "I voted to not end debate on the Hagel nomination. I do not believe Sen. Hagel has adequately explained his activities and their financing since he left the Senate, and I believe this criteria is especially important when dealing with the revolving door between government and the private sector," Paul said. Republican Senator Jim Inhofe, Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said today's vote in the Senate is a clear indication that there are serious concerns about Hagel being the next Secretary of Defence. "I knew from the onset I would oppose Sen. Hagel's nomination and have clearly expressed my concerns for his record on nuclear disarmament, Iran, defence spending and comments on Israel, to name a few," he said. "In a time of war and threats to Americans at home and abroad, Senate Republicans are waging the first-ever filibuster of a Defence Secretary nominee," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said. "Despite unprecedented responsiveness and transparency from the White House, Republicans have constantly invented new pretexts for opposing Senator Hagel's nomination, and Republicans continued their embarrassing display of disregard for our national security by blocking Senator Hagel's nomination today," he said.