Senate Republicans blocked a vote to confirm former Sen. Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense Thursday night.

Democrats say it's the first time a nominee for defense secretary has been filibustered.

But Republicans said they're seeking more information from Hagel and accused Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., of rushing the vote.

"This is not any attempt to kill this nomination. This is not a filibuster," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said. "I realize that's the headline that the majority leader would like the newspapers to write."

"We actually had some very reasonable discussions going on earlier today among senators on the Democrat side and on the Republican side to try to work this out," he added.

Republicans said they still have concerns about Hagel's past statements on Iran and Israel, among other issues.

They also want to know if he accepted compensation from radical groups.