Stephen Feinberg, Pentagon’s deputy chief nominee, dodged a question from Sen. Mark Kelly on whether Russia invaded Ukraine during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday.
According to a recording of the hearing released by Forbes, Kelly asked the nominee: “Mr. Feinberg, did Russia invade Ukraine?”
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“Erm, well, going to my behind closed-door statements a second ago, I’ll just say this. Erm, the erm,” Feinberg said before Kelly interjected by saying “[Russia] moved tanks and troops and armored personnel carriers (APCs) across the Ukrainian border. It’s a pretty simple question.”
Kelly added that if he asked the Republican chairman of the committee, Sen. Roger Wicker, he’s “pretty sure” he would know the answer.
Wicker has called Russian leader Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” who should be “jailed for the rest of his life, if not executed” in a recent statement.
Feinberg responded to Kelly’s statement by saying that he thinks someone “not involved in the discussions” should not “make statements public that could undermine what the president and the [defense] secretary’s intent is.”
“I do have confidence that President Trump is very strong in negotiation, has a plan, and that he’d find a good outcome for America,” Feinberg added.
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Earlier at the hearing, Kelly criticized Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth’s recent comments that whether Russia invaded Ukraine is “complicated” before asking Feinberg, “would you agree that you have a role beyond just execution and offering some advice when you hear things that are just fundamentally inaccurate?”
Feinberg answered by saying that he believes “the deputy, should at times, erm, give his view on policy” but it should be behind closed doors, not in public. He added that he thinks it’s ultimately the US president and the Pentagon chief to “decide what the policies are,” regardless of his opinion.
Feinberg is an American billionaire investor and co-founder of Cerberus Capital Management, a private equity firm “with approximately $65 billion in assets across complementary credit, real estate, and private equity strategies,” according to the company’s LinkedIn page.
Kelly is a former NASA astronaut and current US Senator from Arizona who was once shortlisted as former Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate during the 2024 elections.
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