Bill Hagerty embraces diplomatic roots: ‘I’ll stay here longer than Joe Biden’

After Tennessee Lost Two Influential GOP Powerhouses in Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker — whose back-until-back Retirements Robbed Senate Leader Mitch McConnell of a consigliere and the Foreign Relations Committee of his top Republican – Hagerty is zeroing out in on foreign affairs to make his mark. He mixes it up by supporting something of Biden’s more polarizing nominees while consistently voting alongside other conservatives on most Senate business.

“A United States senator has a term that’s taller than the president of the United States — is not term-limited. A United States senator has ability think on by-term base, on a strategic base. And that’s exactly what I came here to do,” Hagerty said during a… half-hour interview in are Capitol Hill office which was once occupied by the then sen. Lyndon Baines Johnson.

it’s something of a statement on the state of the modern GOP that Hagerty stands for out in it, even as he scrutinizes Biden over the messy withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan, are failure impose sanctions on a Russian pipeline and its attitude towards China. But he’s still an outlier in An party over generally inclined to sacrifice the most blunt political instruments against Biden: Hagerty called Biden’s trade chief a “bright mockery” and praised the new US-UK-Australia submarine agreement, which he said strengthened quadrilateral security dialogue in the Indo-Pacific. that is on top of his rescue of the nomination of Rahm Emanuel, the longtime Democratic legislator and mayor who attracted opposition on the left.

“I was willing to applaud them and be supportive where I think they are” moving in the right directionHagerty said. “But at the same time I will be very . clear until call them out when they move in the opposite direction.”

It is rare for An first-term senator to focus so purposefully on foreign affairs — an arena on Capitol Hill Long Dominated by Old Bulls who tend to outlive presidents and adhere to the famous phrase “politics stops at the water edge”, the idea that domestic political interests should not cloud foreign transactions. Foreign affairs is also An policy area where the loudest supporters are less effective and the spotlight shines the least, meaning ambitious freshman lawmakers often shun it.

While Emanuel was facing backlash from liberals over to be record as mayor of Chicago, Hagerty defended him vigorously, even going so far as to introduce the old Democrat to him confirmation to belong. the 62-year-old conservative said that he and Emanuel “eye in eye saw” on the threat die China constitutes” and “the critical role that Japan can play there.”

“I would be surprised if there was a single” issue on the domestic policy where Rahm Emanuel and I it over would agree,” Hagerty joked. “[But] I thought it was important that the people of Japan – and frankly that China, North Korea and everyone else die maybe also looks . they had to see that there is a strong two-pronged support for the US ambassador in Japan.”

Hagerty’s Opposition to Big Foreign Biden policy initiatives state met name on the right of corkscrew, who often acted as a GOP bellwether on key foreign-affairs questions during his two terms in the upstairs room. For example, Corker led the attack to: give the Senate vote on Then-President Barack Obama’s 2015 Nuclear Deal with Iran; Hagerty’s national security adviser, Robert Zarate, is a longtime Senate foreigner policy hand who helped Marshal GOP opposition to die deal.

Indeed, in unlike Corker, who spent the tail of talking about his career out against the former President, Hagerty is as pro-Trump as they come. When he came in office in January, Hagerty hired several former Trump White House aides to staff his DC office. And during his short tenure in the Senate has Hagerty Trump in hyped abroad policy — on all of his”maximum Busy” campaign against Iran’s attempts to crack down on China.

“President Trump has a long list of foreign policy performance die not just him should Be proud of, but advanced America’s interests in a positive way’ said Hagerty, bouncing from topic to topic with ease. “You’ve got it over the predatory attitude of China – President Trump called that out.”

sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who serves with Hagerty on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, enthusiastically supported Hagerty’s nomination for ambassador in Japan in 2017, and now leads the panel’s State Department subcommittee next to Hagerty. Cardin said Hagerty is on to be way to reclaim the state traditional firepower in foreign policy, but greeted Corker as a more independent voice on the world phase.

“Everybody” unique — Bob Corker is a good friend, he really created an incredible knowledge base and reputation in foreign policy’ said Cardin in a short interview. “Sen. Hagerty’s just starting outbut he is very serious over foreign policy.”

Hagerty was the Trump campaign chair of 2016 in Tennessee, and later served as the director of presidential appointments on the Trump transition team. Before that, he led the economic development department and served as head of finance for Mitt Romney’s Presidential Election in 2008 campaign. He worked before in private equity at Boston Consulting Group, one tenure met a three-year stint in Tokyo, and speaks conversational Japanese.

“[Hagerty] has the right temperament – not just to represent us on the diplomatic phase, but also until work with colleagues, to discuss issues in over which there is a fundamental disagreement,” said Indiana Sen. Todd Young, who President of the Senate GOP campaign arm the year Hagerty was elected and disagree with it on issues met war powers.

But Hagerty’s efforts have extended far beyond the walls of the meeting of the foreign relations committee space on Capitol Hill.

After Afghanistan in hands of the Taliban, Hagerty flew to London and Brussels to meet with strengthen its parliamentary colleagues and allied cooperation on the security situation. His message?

“I’m staying here longer than Joe Biden, and we . need until work together because the threat has now escalated,” Hagerty said, recounting his conversations.

He has also requested accountability via other resources. After seeing other countries die firing leaders responsible for the debacle in Afghanistan, Hagerty asked secretary: of Is Antony Blinken – whose nomination he supported – on a public of he had tendered his resignation to the president.

To be conservative allies have adopted others tactics until force action, such as holding up State Department and Pentagon nominees until their demands are met. Hagerty doesn’t do that way. Instead, he reveals himself as a foreign…policy foil to Biden.

After Israel and Hamas militants were engaged in a violent shooting war before this year, Hagerty flew to Israel as a show of support for ally of the US, in the belief that Biden and other Democrats did not support the Israeli government response to Hamas missiles enough.

It was an unusual step by a member of Congress, one influenced by his diplomacy experience.

“The messages die came in out of the Biden administration has required me, from time to time, to turn what happens here upside down, get on a plane and do what I’ve learned to do as a businessman and as a diplomat,” Hagerty said. “And that’s about step up, face the problem head-on, find pragmatic solutions and let them know that you are here and ready to work.”