Donald Trump’s Cabinet Picks Under Scanner As Confirmation Hearings Open At US Senate

The cabinet picks of President-elect Donald J Trump are set to go under the microscope, as US senators hold confirmation hearings of more than a dozen prospective nominees starting Tuesday. Over the week, thirteen of Mr Trump’s choices–some facing controversies ranging from alleged sexual assault and heavy drinking to their relationships with dictators and vaccine scepticism– will be grilled before 11 committees as Democrats hope to enlist Republicans in dropping at least a few out of contention.

Senate committees have set public reviews of Mr Trump’s choices for attorney general and those tapped to run the State, Treasury, Defence, Homeland Security, Energy, Interior, Transportation and Veterans Affairs Departments and the CIA, among others departments. 

Trump’s Picks Under Scanner

One of the first, and potentially most high-profile and contentious hearings on the docket will be one of Pete Hegseth, the former Army National Guard officer and ex-Fox News host nominated for secretary of defence. 

The Senate Armed Services Committee is scheduled on Tuesday to consider the expected nomination of Mr Hegseth– who has faced allegations of sexual assault, financial misconduct, excessive drinking, and lingering questions over his views on women in the military. He also has no comparable management experience.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a member of the Armed Services Committee, has described Hegseth as “a guy with a track record of being so drunk at work events that he needed to be carried out on multiple occasions.”

“Can we really count on calling Hegseth at 2 am to make life and death national security decisions? Nope,” she said on X.

The hearing can make or break Mr Hegseth’s political career, as he can only afford three Republican rejections and still be confirmed, should every Democrat and independent vote against him. 

Former Democratic congresswoman turned Trumpist Tulsi Gabbard–Mr Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence– is another candidate whose lack of qualifications and experience, as well as her attitudes toward US adversaries, have raised alarm bells. Ms Gabbard met then-Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in 2017 and declared him “not the enemy.” She has also voiced sympathy for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Opposition appears to be softening however after she flipped her stance to support a controversial government intelligence-gathering program that she tried to repeal in 2020. 

Some pressure on the nominees is expected from both sides of the aisle, especially for Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Mr Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services and an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist.

Some of the most potentially fiery hearings are yet to be scheduled, including for Kennedy and Kash Patel, Mr Trump’s nominee to run the FBI. Patel — a conspiracy theorist who vowed in a podcast that Mr Trump would “come after” journalists, lawyers and judges he believes haven’t treated him fairly — is not expected to get his confirmation hearing until February.

Potential Smooth Sailors

Former Florida senator and foreign policy hawk Marco Rubio, Mr Trump’s pick for secretary of state, is one of the sure bets with bipartisan support, and will likely be confirmed before Mr Trump takes office on January 20. 

Mr Rubio gets his hearing Wednesday, along with Homeland Security Secretary nominee Kristi Noem, Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi and CIA pick John Ratcliffe, who has been confirmed by the Senate before, as director of national intelligence. 

Ms Bondi was Mr Trump’s second choice after his initial pick, former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration after facing sexual misconduct and drug-taking allegations. 

Trump’s Call For United House

Despite criticism of the backgrounds and experiences of several of his picks, the incoming President has urged his Republican colleagues in the Senate to stay united and quickly deliver the team he has selected in the opening days of the administration, according to a report by The New York Times. 

However, how the Grand Old Party (GOP) responds to Mr Trump’s request will provide an early test of the relationship for the next four years.

Mr Trump and his Republican allies in the Senate would like to have at least some officials in place within hours of his swearing-in next Monday and are reportedly keen for the President-elect’s national security nominees to be confirmed quickly and Democrats may agree to fast-track some. 

But they are determined to throw up roadblocks in front of candidates they see as unfit. In the Republican camp as well, while some top leaders say they are committed to rapidly advancing Mr Trump’s picks, the chances of more than a few being ready for votes on Inauguration Day are low.

“The president ought to have his team in place early, especially his national security team,” Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 2 Senate Republican, told NYT on Sunday. 

“If Democrats try to drag out the process, the Republican Conference is ready to work around the clock, including weekends and nights, to get them in place,” he added.

The Trump picks have also reportedly been in stringent preparations. They have been taking part in mock hearings and coaching on how to negotiate tough questions while still maintaining unswerving loyalty to the president-elect, according to a report by AFP. 

Moreover, it is rare for nominees to be defeated on the floor as senators tend to give Presidents deference in their top administration choices, and those who run into trouble typically withdraw before a vote. In the past 36 years of US history, only one of the cabinet nominees was rejected, when John Tower, a former Republican senator from Texas, fell short of the votes for secretary of defence in the administration of President George HW Bush.