In the Senate, Republicans have derailed President-elect Donald Trump’s first term jaw-dropping choice For the Attorney General, Matt Gaetz. But despite the skepticism of some rank-and-file Republicans, it’s unclear whether they could block any other controversial candidates.
In the weeks since Trump’s dramatic election victory, the power struggle between the president-elect and independent-minded Senate Republicans has clearly continued. There were questions about whether the GOP majority in the new Senate would simply bow to Trump, the party’s most dominant figure, and cast aside its constitutional duty of advice and consent.
Instead, a handful of GOP senators flexed their muscles and rejected Gaetz. Now their political resolve will be tested several times as Trump’s frustration grows and the MAGA base calls for Republicans to rally behind Trump and get his team in place quickly.
Senators are taking a brief respite from questions about Trump’s nominees while they celebrate Thanksgiving. But when he returns next week, the scrutiny will intensify and focus on a trio of Cabinet ministers who are raising alarm bells on Capitol Hill and beyond: Tulsi Gabbard to director of national intelligence; For Pete Hegseth dsecretary of defense; and For Robert F. Kennedy Jr hwealth and human etcservices secretary.
Some Republican senators outside of the media spotlight on Gaetz acknowledged that Trump’s other tough choices will now be under the microscope. For example, Hegseth is facing questions about a 2017 incident in which a woman told police he took her phone and prevented her from leaving a hotel room before sexually assaulting her. Hegseth has not been charged and has denied the charges during this time confirms that he paid the accuser a secret solution, but the issue came up during his meetings with the members of the Armed Forces Committee whose voice will be needed.
“Well, given that we have a problem with sexual assault in our military, it’s a pretty big problem,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, adding that he supported the bipartisan legislation by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. , and Kirsten Gillibrand, D.N.Y., to prevent sexual harassment in the military.
“That’s why you have background checks, that’s why you have hearings, that’s why you have to pass a background check,” Kramer said. “I’m not going to prejudge him, but yeah, it’s a pretty interesting accusation.”
Political capital
Before withdrawing Gaetz’s name, Cramer warned that Trump’s transition team risked spending too much “political capital” fighting for a doomed Cabinet pick before the party even begins to tackle the 2025 legislative agenda. The former Florida congressman had too much baggage, Cramer and others said — stemming from a years-long sex-abuse ethics investigation and Gaetz’s successful campaign last year to unseat GOP Speaker Kevin McCarthy — as the nation’s top law enforcement official. official to win the 51 votes needed to be approved.
Republicans will control 53 seats in the new Senate, meaning they can leave just three GOPs on any vote to confirm a nominee or pass legislation with Vice President JD Vance serving as the tiebreaker.
Instead of prolonging the fight for several more weeks, Gaetz withdrew from the debate on Thursday, clearing the way for Trump to name it. Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi will lead the Department of Justice. Bondi’s selection has been applauded by Republicans and is expected to have an easier path to confirmation.
It’s still an open question how much political capital Trump is willing to burn on other options with his baggage. Some Senate Republicans, Gaetz’s harshest critics, said they could live with Hegseth despite the 2017 assault allegations.
“He has not been charged. He was not even charged in this case. No crime was committed. The police threw everything there. …” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., a Trump ally and vocal Gaetz critic, said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “And that doesn’t stop Pete from getting on with it.”
Potential red flags
Kennedy and Gabbard have their own past feuds, which could be red flags for the senators. Kennedy, Trump’s pick as one of his top health officials, did multiple false or misleading claims on vaccines, fluoride, raw milk and other things that would fall under his purview if approved. As HHS secretary, Kennedy would oversee 13 federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health.
Asked about RFK Jr.’s position on vaccines, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, a member of the Senate Health Committee, which will host Kennedy’s confirmation hearing, told reporters that she would continue to advocate “as a parent” for the “benefits of modern vaccination.” medicine.”
Sen. Rep. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., a close Trump ally, said Sunday on Fox News that he was doing an “informal whip count” on RFK, adding that he heard the concerns but said he was confident the soon-to-be HHS nominee would be “. is quite easily verified.”
Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman who switched parties and backed Trump, has faced scrutiny from Democrats as well as some Republicans. Positive comments about Russia and a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2017.
“I think he’s compromised … the Russian-controlled media has called him a Russian asset,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., an Iraq War veteran and member of the Armed Forces, told CNN on Sunday.
He added that he didn’t think Gabbard could pass an FBI background check.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., responded to NBC’s “Meet the Press,” calling Duckworth’s insults about Gabbard “slanderous.” “There is no evidence that he is an asset of another country,” he said.
“The President is nominating top-notch and extremely qualified candidates to serve in the Trump administration,” Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, said in a statement.
No check
FBI background checks are typically conducted on executive branch candidates and appointees. But the Trump team has yet to present any of its options for such scrutiny.
On Sunday, Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., defended the move, saying Americans don’t care who runs the vetting process.
“I don’t think the American public cares who does the background check. What the American public cares about is seeing that the mandate they voted for is carried out,” Hagerty, Trump’s former ambassador to Japan, said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Democrats say the FBI’s background checks could save Trump and his team a lot of trouble and embarrassment.
Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” .
“With the FBI reviewing potential candidates, this vetting process is not only to protect the public interest, but also to protect the interests of the president-elect, to make sure he doesn’t embarrass himself by nominating someone like Matt Gaetz.”