Washington — President-elect Donald Trump Choices of the cabinet and senior staff face an uncertain future as his selections in recent days received mixed reviews, even from fellow Republicans — and sent a handful of shockwaves through Washington.
Trump’s selection for attorney general in former Rep. Matt Gaetza GOP rabble-rouser who was under investigation by the House of Representatives ethics committee for allegations of sexual misconduct and obstructionhas drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle. And Trump’s choice for Secretary of Defense Piet Hegsethan Army veteran and former Fox News host, has also raised concerns, especially as a investigation into allegations of sexual abuse has been made public against him. Moreover, former Democratic Rep. Tulsi GabbardTrump’s pick for director of national intelligence has no background in intelligence and has drawn criticism for her views on Russia and other U.S. adversaries.
Appears Sunday on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Democratic Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut expressed surprise at those who questioned whether experience is necessary when asked about Gabbard, saying “of course it is necessary.”
“These people are clearly not qualified, and you know, they’re not prepared to lead the very complicated organizations that they’ve been asked to lead,” Himes said.
But Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Gaetz’s qualifications should also be investigated, as should the House Ethics Committee’s unreleased report.
“How come this is what we focus on?” Himes said. “Matt Gaetz is, by any standard, completely unfit to be attorney general, and yet we’re kind of focused on this, you know, as the icing on the cake of the Ethics report.”
Gaetz’s resignation from Congress following Trump’s announcement came days before a planned meeting and vote by the House Ethics Committee on whether release a report on her investigation into Gaetz. Speaker Mike Johnson said Friday he would “strong requestThat committee is withholding the potentially damaging report.
Representative French Hill, an Arkansas Republican who also appeared on “Face the Nation” on Sunday.said Johnson “makes an important point,” warning that “we don’t want to set a precedent where we won’t release documents from that committee under any circumstances.” But he emphasized that the decision is up to the committee alone, while noting that the Senate will exercise its advice and consent role on Trump’s selections through the confirmation process.
“President Trump has the privilege of nominating the people he believes can best lead the change he believes the American people are seeking in each of the agencies of the federal government,” Hill said.
The Arkansas Republican outlined that when Trump took office in 2017, there were members of his Cabinet with whom he had no personal relationship or work experience.
“He wants to correct that this time by finding people he has a good working relationship with. He knows how they think, they know how he thinks, because he thinks that will lead to better decision-making in his administration,” Hill said.
Himes, for his part, praised some of Trump’s other choices.
‘I actually had a very good day then Marco Rubio was nominated for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, when John Ratcliffe was nominated for the CIA and when Mike Waltz was nominated as national security advisor,” Ratcliffe said. “Those are good nominations, not necessarily the nominations I would have made if I were president, but these are serious people with real experience.”
Still, he warned Senate Republicans as the confirmation process played out, saying he understands “what happens to Republicans who stand up to Donald Trump,” but “history is a harsh judge.”
“The Republican senator who votes to confirm Matt Gaetz, Robert Kennedy or Tulsi Gabbard will be remembered by history as someone who completely abdicated responsibility to Donald Trump,” Himes said.
Sue Gordon, who served under Trump as deputy director of national intelligence also appeared on “Face the Nation” on Sunday.stressed that vetting will be critical to the process moving forward, amid a New York Times report that Trump’s team could bypass the typical FBI procedure and instead opt for a private company to vet its nominees , who would receive security clearances.
“It seems expedient, but I think it will ultimately hurt the institution,” Gordon said, noting that a private company would not have the same standards. “I know it’s difficult, but I think it’s a bad strategy and risky for America.”
Meanwhile, the Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan group that helps with presidential transitions, confirmed to CBS News that the Trump team has not signed paperwork that would allow for security clearances and background checks, among other things. Gordon said she can’t think of a “good reason” for the Trump team to abandon the transition paperwork, saying that “one of the greatest untruths perpetrated against America is that our institutions are evil.”
“You’re not protecting anyone by not signing those papers, especially some of the nominees that we have who don’t have real depth of experience,” Gordon said. “To start your performance without any foundation, especially when the institutions are begging to give you that foundation, just seems wrong.”
