New Senate Majority Chief John Thune (R-S.D.) mentioned it’s unclear if all of President-elect Trump’s Cupboard picks might be confirmed.
Thune joined NBC Information’s “Meet the Press” for an interview that aired Sunday, as he took the lead of the higher chamber firstly of the 119th Congress.
“What I’ve promised them is a fair process,” Thune mentioned of Trump’s picks. “And so, these nominees are going to go through a committee where they’re going to have to answer questions. There will be some hard questions posed.”
Thune highlighted the will to offer Trump with the Cupboard he needs however famous that the Senate has a task to “advise and consent,” significantly relating to his nationwide safety selections.
“We have a lot of our senators who take that role very seriously,” he mentioned. “And so, we will make sure that these nominees have a process, a fair process, in which they have an opportunity to make their cases not only to the members of the committee and ultimately to the full Senate but also to the American people.”
Thune wouldn’t affirm whether or not he would vote for or towards any of Trump’s nominees, together with some significantly controversial selections like Kash Patel to guide the FBI, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii) for director of nationwide intelligence and Pete Hegseth for Division of Protection.
Thune mentioned he’s met with a few of Trump’s nominees, and there are “some” that he has been “really, really impressed” by.
“As they go through the process, there will be opportunities throughout that where members, senators, will have opportunities to make sure they’re getting their questions answered,” Thune mentioned. “And we’ll see.”
As the brand new chief of the Senate, Thune mentioned he expects that Trump will get “his people” into key positions “quickly.”
