Sen. Wicker is in line for a powerful seat as tensions rise surrounding Ukraine attack

With a leaked report Thursday of Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe’s impending early retirement, a Mississippi legislator is set to succeed him as the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

If Republicans regain control of the upper house in this year’s elections, Mississippi’s senior Sen. Roger Wicker is in line to serve as the powerful committee’s chair.

The news of Inhofe’s retirement came at an anxious moment for military affairs, less than 24 hours after Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

Wicker, who was appointed to the Senate seat in 2007, took a hawkish position in the lead-up to the Ukraine conflict. Writing last week in the right-leaning magazine National Review, the GOP senator criticized President Biden’s publicly announced decision to “never to send U.S. troops or provide air support to Ukraine.”

“Strong presidents never take options off the table, and we cannot be surprised if Putin now doubts whether we really care what he does to Ukraine,” Wicker wrote.

Biden announced additional economic sanctions for Russia at the White House on Thursday, saying “Putin chose this war and now he and his country will bear the consequences.”

Chairmanship of the Armed Service Committee would provide Wicker, a former Air Force officer, with a powerful platform from which to promote his views on military policy.

Inhofe, 87, has not yet formally announced his retirement, but a New York Times report suggested that he plans to step down this year, four years before his term ends. The report was then confirmed by other outlets.

Inhofe’s retirement will trigger a special election in Oklahoma.

This story was originally published February 24, 2022 at 6:03 PM.