GOP fight over Pentagon policy nominee breaks out

A GOP debate is breaking out over Elbridge Colby, President Trump’s pick to serve as Defense undersecretary for policy.

As The Hill reported, a number of Republican senators have raised concerns about Colby’s international defense views, as he’s advocated for U.S. defense efforts to focus less on the Middle East and more on the threat of China.

This has raised questions about whether Colby can be confirmed by the Senate.

In a post Sunday on social platform X, conservative activist Charlie Kirk questioned the opposition to Colby and directly called out Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a conservative who is chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

“The effort to undermine President Trump continues in the US Senate. @SenTomCotton is working behind the scenes to stop Trump’s pick, Elbridge Colby, from getting confirmed at DOD,” Kirk said.

The Hill has reached out to Cotton’s office for comment.

Kirk said Colby is “one of the most important pieces to stop the Bush/Cheney cabal at DOD,” and he questioned why Cotton was opposing his nomination.

Elon Musk, a Trump ally who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), replied to Kirk, also questioning Cotton’s resistance. “Why the opposition to Bridge? What does he think Bridge will do?” Musk wrote, referring to Colby.

Not everyone on the right is backing Colby, however.

Fox News’s Mark Levin in a post on X disagreed with Kirk, saying there were solid policy reasons to oppose Colby.

"Sorry Charlie," Levin wrote. "It is the unequivocal position of President Trump and every sane person that Iran must not get nukes. If this guy has no problem with it, he’s the problem not Cotton. He’s out of sync not Cotton. He’s undermining national security not Cotton.”

Colby has been criticized by some on the right for saying it is plausible that a nuclear Iran could be contained, which the Jewish Insider outlet reported suggests he does not see keeping Iran from getting nuclear weapons as a red line for the U.S.

In a separate post, Levin said he hopes Colby has changed his views.

Vice President Vance in a post on X defended Colby, saying he has “consistently been correct” about foreign policy debates over the last 20 years.

“He was critical of the Iraq War, which made him unemployable in the 2000s era conservative movement,” Vance wrote.

But it is clear Colby's views could be a problem in getting him confirmed.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said some of Colby’s views were a concern to “a number of senators.”

The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations wrote a letter to Wicker and Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.), the top Democrat on the Armed Services panel, voicing concerns about Colby’s view of the American military in the Middle East.

They asked senators to grill Colby about his views, including scaling back military involvement in the Middle East.

Colby’s confirmation hearing has yet to be scheduled in the Senate.

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