Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., sounded the alarm on a pair of Pentagon hires under President Donald Trump, calling it “alarming” that anyone who says U.S. interests in the Middle East are “minimal to nonexistent” survived the vetting process.

McConnell made the remarks to Jewish Insider in a story published Thursday.

“President Trump has committed to restoring peace through strength and standing with Israel. But the folks staffing up his Pentagon operation don’t appear to have read the memo,” McConnell said in a statement to Jewish Insider.

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