Senate Republicans are urging President-elect Trump's Cabinet nominees not to fall prey to Democrats in high-stakes confirmation hearings starting next week that could be the difference between winning and losing some of Trump's picks.
A number of hearings will be held next week, chaired by Pete Hegseth, President Trump's nominee to lead the Pentagon, aimed at confirming several key nominees shortly after Inauguration Day on January 20th. Ru.
But Democrats, led by Hegseth, have vowed to take to the mat to give some people hell. The Pentagon nominee appears to have justified his confirmation ship last month following allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and poor management. Mr Hegseth denies any wrongdoing.
For this reason, Republicans are warning candidates not to fall hook, line or sinker on the barbs.
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R.N.D.) spoke specifically about Hegseth, likening his situation to the high-profile fight over Judge Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, saying, “If it's not true, say it's not true.'' ” he said. We need Republican votes. Be very careful not to jeopardize that support. ”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (New York) He reportedly told his colleagues Biden has said privately that it's time to start “paying back” to the Republican Party, which has branded itself Democratic throughout his term.
It begins this week with the selection of at least a dozen Trump nominees, including Hegseth, Trump's nominee for secretary of state, and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). Pam Bondi, his choice for attorney general. President Trump's nominee to head the CIA, John Ratcliffe, will also attend a confirmation hearing that could include some fireworks.
Republicans believe it is essential to remain calm, calm and collected during Democratic questioning, not only for their own candidates, but also for the sake of the person who nominated them in the first place.
“The question is whether they can fight back technically and show they're ready for the job,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R.S. “The big challenge for any [nominees] We're just checking to see if the president still has faith in them when they finish their discussion. ”
Of all the hearings scheduled this week, Hegseth's is garnering the most attention after a roller-coaster approval process. The former Fox News host's chances were flat, but he then mounted an aggressive media campaign that ultimately helped swing things back in his direction, according to multiple Senate Republicans. .
Senate Republicans are hopeful he can cross the finish line if he doesn't stumble publicly during questioning by the Senate Armed Services Committee starting Tuesday morning.
“He's been on TV before. He's been in front of audiences before. I think he'll do a good job. I really do,” Lowndes said. “I think he has the ability and I think he sees the need to create this lethality again as a focus across the Department of Defense.”
The hearing will be the first opportunity for most military Democrats to ask Hegseth any questions since he was nominated by President Trump to lead the Pentagon nearly two months ago. Hegseth met with the committee's top Democrat, Republican Sen. Jack Reed, on Thursday, marking his first private meeting with a Democratic committee member.
Notably, some of President Trump's most controversial nominees, including former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii), Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Kash Patel, are at hearings this week. Don't participate.
Public hearings must be notified one week in advance. That means none of the three will appear on a panel before the inauguration week.
Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee put a potential hearing on Gabbard on hold due to delays in receiving FBI background checks, ethics disclosures or pre-hearing questionnaires. However, they obtained all the relevant information to proceed with Mr. Ratcliffe's confirmation hearing to become CIA director.
As for Patel, the Judiciary Committee is prioritizing hearings on Bondi's bid to become attorney general, which are scheduled to begin Wednesday and are already drawing arrows from Democrats.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), ranking member of the Judiciary Committee; Blamed for not listing Bondi She works as a lobbyist for a number of foreign and potentially conflicting organizations, including Qatar, Zimbabwe, and Kosovo.
“MS. Ms. Bondi did not list these issues or clients as potential conflicts of interest in the Senate Judiciary Report. If she is confirmed as Attorney General, she will not be able to identify any of these issues or her clients as potential conflicts of interest.” “To understand the extent to which this may pose a conflict of interest, the committee requires additional information from the Department of Justice, which is not otherwise available,” Durbin wrote to the Senate Judiciary. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) asked to share copies of her contract and statements related to the work.
But Republicans are paying close attention to how the three proceed, with hopes that they won't flinch under the bright lights, and the time they spend waiting for them in this first hearing. will all be spent.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-Va.), a member of the leadership team, recalled an event a few years ago when her political opponents were pilloriing her, during which she received an email from her husband. Ta. Please be careful.
“I read it and it said, 'Don't take the bait,'” Capito said.
“So I think that’s it,” she added. “Please don't take the bait.”
