Speculation about the potential nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel continues, though he faces serious questions from both sides. Late in 2012, Rep. Eliot Engel (D., N.Y.) said Hagel has "some kind of endemic hostility" toward Israel in an interview with "Newsmakers."
"It seems there is some kind of endemic hostility toward Israel, and that's troublesome for me and for a lot of other people," Engel said in the "Newsmakers" interview that aired Dec. 23, 2012.
"Obviously he served in the Senate for a number of years and he's done many good things, but I think in the sensitive post of secretary of defense, those are warning bells, those are red lights," he continued.
Later in the interview, Engel said he would have trouble with a Hagel nomination, and went on to say, "If I were doing the appointing, I would not appoint Chuck Hagel."