Sen. Charles Schumer. Photo: wiki commons.

Senator Chuck Schumer issued a non-committal statement Monday on President Obama’s controversial nomination of former Nebraska senator Chuck Hagel for secretary of defense.

Schumer who is both Jewish and a Democrat said that he looks forward “to fully studying his (Hagel’s) record and exploring” Hagel’s views.

Expressing support for Hagel’s right to a Senate hearing Schumer said, “Chuck Hagel, as a former colleague and a patriot with a decorated service record, has earned the right to nothing less than a full and fair process in the Senate.”

In an interview with The Algemeiner earlier today, former New York Mayor Ed Koch said that the nomination of Hagel, who is widely considered to be hostile to Israel, would be a test for Schumer. “To me this is a test for Chuck Schumer, where he stands, and what he will say,” Koch said.

“It’ll be interesting to me to see how the two senators from New York work on this issue. I hope they’ll join the republicans. But I doubt it.”