TIME Editor Defends Hagel Against ‘Anti-Semitism’ Charges: He Speaks ‘Hard Truths’ About Israel

Following the press conference announcing former Sen. Chuck Hagel‘s (R-NE) nomination for Secretary of Defense, TIME editor Jim Frederick took to MSNBC to praise the nominee’s on-the-ground military experience and defend the controversial pick from conservative charges of “anti-Semitism” for his remarks on dealing with Israel.

Frederick began by noting that Hagel’s war experience, having served as infantry in Vietnam, will bolster his nomination chances: “Generals, over history, have played the card that ‘We know what’s best because we have been there on the ground,’ so I do think it’s an interesting discussion to have but I definitely think that consideration is in the mix, that, you know, a Secretary of Defense with actual military experience — not just military experience, but infantry experience, squad leader in Vietnam.”

Host Tamron Hall seemingly agreed, noting that Hagel “has shrapnel in his body,” which “adds gravitas to this man facing a difficult nomination process.”

When asked what issues will play out the most during the nomination hearings, Frederick pointed to three different potentially controversial positions of the former senator that could cause some conflict: Hagel’s “valuable” openness to cutting what he has deemed the “overspent” parts of the American military budget; his views on dealing with Iran, which have been “described as being outside the mainstream”; and the questions over whether he is “anti-Israel” or “anti-Semitic.”

Despite being a Republican, Hagel has come under scrutiny from neoconservative political figures for his past remarks about Israel, including one where he lamented the enormous influence the “Jewish lobby” has over American foreign policy.

Frederick took issue with this criticism of the former Nebraska senator, calling the charges “preposterous,” adding, “I haven’t seen anything he’s done with Israel, he speaks some hard truths and says things that people think but don’t say about what’s going on in Israel.”

Watch below, via MSNBC:

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