Hagel to senators: I can’t provide details on speaking engagement, foreign funders

“[T]he information you seek is legally controlled by the individual entities and not mine to disclose,” he said, adding that he was not involved in the day-to-day operation of the organizations. “As a board-member, I have a fiduciary duty that includes the obligation to maintain the confidentiality of non-public corporate information. The information may also be subject to various other legal requirements or contractual arrangements that prohibit its disclosure.”

According to a senior GOP aide close to the confirmation process, “Senators are not reacting well to this response.”

“Hagel is refusing to answer any of the questions or make any effort to get them the answers,” the aide said. “He is basically telling Senators they have no right to know if he has been unduly influenced by foreign governments or foreign agents over the last five years. What is he hiding? I’m told several Senators, including McCain, who have previously expressed opposition to a filibuster said privately yesterday that failure to disclose foreign funding information would change their thinking.”