Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said Wednesday that she
anticipates the hearing for Clifford Stanley, a retired general who has
been nominated to a key post in the Department of Defense, will precede Senate hearings on the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

“I expect that the hearing on ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ will take place next month after the confirmation hearing for marine general Clifford Stanley,” said Gillibrand, who met with Defense Department officials Tuesday to discuss the military’s gay ban. “There is a lot more support in Congress for full repeal of DADT than people realize.”

Neither hearing has been officially scheduled yet and a spokesperson for the Senate Armed Services Committee could not be reached in time for the posting of this article.

Stanley was nominated by President Barack Obama last week as the undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness -- the position within the Defense Department that oversees the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

A spokesperson for Senator Gillibrand indicated that Stanley’s hearings could be very decisive.

Click here to follow The Advocate on Twitter.