Democrats fight against Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks… including Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel
- Democratic senators have little to no say in which Trump picks will be confirmed
Democratic senators are not giving up opposition to some of Donald Trump’s choices for his second administration — but they have little power to stop them from taking their new posts.
After the 2024 elections, the Senate turned red with 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats.
Cabinet confirmations require only a simple majority in the 100-member Senate, meaning that as long as Republicans ban them together, Trump should have no problem assembling his team in the new year.
The three most controversial, damaging ones so far for Democrats are the choices of president-elect to lead the Defense Department, Pete Hegseth; FBI, Kash Patel; and to become its Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard.
But so far there are no signs that Republicans in the Senate share the concerns Democrats have expressed.
Hegseth specifically found himself at the center of the discussion after Trump’s favorite for attorney general, former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration as even Republicans raised concerns about misconduct and claims of sexual assault.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told CNN reporter Many Raju that it is not right to even consider Hegseth given the many reports that have emerged about him.
These include claims that Hegseth often got drunk at work and that women have outstanding sexual harassment claims against him.
Democratic lawmakers are still concerned about Donald Trump’s choices to fill out his Cabinet and White House team in the new year, though they will have little power to influence that
The most controversial choice is Pete Hegseth, whom Donald Trump plans to nominate to lead the Defense Department
“We shouldn’t be talking about confirming people who have been credibly accused of rape, who have signed excellent non-disclosure agreements that women can’t talk about it, who have led workplaces that have had significant problems and allegations of sexual harassment to lead to one of the largest departments in our government,” the progressive senator said.
Meanwhile, Senator-elect Adam Schiff spoke out against Gabbard and Patel on Sunday.
The current California House representative said Patel’s only qualifications to become FBI director are his loyalty and “blind obedience” to Trump.
“The president can find other people who are loyal to him and to his interests, but who are also loyal to the rule of law,” he told ABC News This Week host George Stephanopoulos.
He added: ‘Patel is not one of them.’
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) also said Patel is problematic.
Speaking to CBS Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan on Sunday, the senator said she worried he was on a “revenge mission” when he should be on a “national security mission.”
Democrats also oppose Trump’s picks to lead the FBI, Kash Patel (left), and who he plans to be the next Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard (right).
Senator Elizabeth Warren pointed to the claims of sexual harassment and rape against Pete Hegseth
“He says he wants to dismantle the FBI headquarters and turn it into a museum,” she added. “For me, this is not the direction we should be going.”
When it comes to Gabbard, Schiff also has “concerns.”
“The first is a complete lack of experience, never having worked in an intelligence agency, never even being on the Intelligence Committee,” he said of the former Hawaii congressman, who switched from Democratic to Republican.
Schiff is one of the members of Congress most frequently attacked by Trump.
The president-elect calls the California lawmaker “pencil neck” and “watermelon head.”