Less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump suspended military assistance to Ukraine, his nominee for the Pentagon’s top policy position drew sharp criticism from senators by declining to explicitly state that Russia invaded Ukraine.

During the confirmation hearing, when pressed on the matter, Elbridge Colby responded:

It’s important to be discreet and say things at the appropriate time and place.

Senator Angus King (I-Maine) countered:

You tell us you’re going to tell truth to power. The most fundamental truth here is that Russia invaded Ukraine. This is recognized globally, yet you won’t acknowledge it today, apparently to avoid contradicting the president.

Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) spoke the truth when she said Colby claiming “a known fact” was up for interpretation should be disqualifying:

…saying you don’t know whether or not Hitler invaded Poland.