It’s not just Senate Democrats who incoming President Donald Trump needs to worry about in order to get his cabinet nominees confirmed. A number of Republicans are dodging questions over some of Trump’s more contentious nominees, throwing into question which of his picks may survive the confirmation process.
The nominees getting the most pushback from inside the Republican tent are Secretary of Defense pick Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence selection Tulsi Gabbard, potential HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kash Patel, who Trump chose to run the FBI.
One GOP Senate aide told the Caller those four nominees were the most in jeopardy as things currently stand, potentially because they were the four Trump was more counting on to advance his agenda.
Hegseth is currently facing accusations of sexual assault, which he has adamantly denied and never been charged for. In the weeks since his nomination was announced, liberal media outlets have run numerous stories alleging he has a drinking problem and is too sexually promiscuous. Hegseth has denied the allegations and been backed by other colleagues from his time at Fox News.
Gabbard, a staunch critic of sending military aid to Ukraine, has faced pushback from some Republicans for alleged sympathies with Russia and its allies in the Middle East. Gabbard met with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in 2017 on a fact-finding mission, and later said she “will never apologize for doing all that I can to prevent more of my brothers and sisters from being sent into harm’s way, to fight counter-productive regime-change wars that make our country less safe, that take more lives, and that cost taxpayers trillions more dollars.”
RFK Jr. is being attacked for also believing in what his opponents call “conspiracy theories.” However, as the Daily Caller has reported, some of his views being derided by critics are backed by science, such as raising concerns about water fluoridation.
As for Patel, Democrats are on a full-blown offensive over his promises to root out corrupt elements within the FBI that previously undermined Trump during his first term.
Most Trump supporters are accustomed to facing opposition from Republican senators like Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, but a GOP senate aide identified South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds and Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy as possible names to watch out for. Another was Republican South Dakota Sen. John Thune, who was elected in November to take over Senate leadership from his longtime ally Mitch McConnell.
The Caller contacted all of these Senators to see if they were committed to supporting a number of Trump’s nominees.
Rounds, who serves on the Senate Committee on Armed Services and Senate Intelligence Committee, will be present for hearings with Hegseth and Gabbard and has been largely quiet on if he will support them. The Caller also asked Rounds’ office if he would be supporting Patel, but did not receive a response.
Cassidy, who serves as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and will be questioning RFK Jr. and Trump’s pick for Labor Secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, has also been largely quiet. The Caller contacted Cassidy’s office about his support for those specific nominees and also if he would be supporting Patel, but they did not respond.
Cassidy’s decisions may have gotten that much tougher Wednesday, when Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming announced a primary challenge against the incumbent.
Collins has refused to say if she would support RFK Jr. and Gabbard and has been noncommittal about Patel.
“I don’t know Kash Patel. I had heard his name, but I don’t know his background, and I’m going to have to do a lot of work before reaching a decision on him. In general, I’ve found it’s important to review the background check, the committee work and the public hearing,” she told reporters this week.
As for the other nominees, Collins’ office told the Caller she likely would not take a position until after their hearings were concluded.
Murkowski, like Collins, has also been largely silent on her support for Trump’s nominees, specifically RFK Jr. and Gabbard.
Thune has not committed to supporting Patel as the next FBI Director. There were previously questions about whether he would support nominees that weren’t subject to FBI background checks, an idea that was floated by some in Trump world.
Two other Republican wildcards who have been mentioned as possible obstacles for Trump’s nominees are Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis. McConnell has butted heads with Trump countless times and has little electoral concern in Kentucky, where his term will end in 2027. Meanwhile, Tillis is seen as a more moderate member of the Senate GOP who is facing re-election in a swing state during the upcoming midterms.
Other members of the GOP are pushing their colleagues to stand firm behind Trump’s nominees.
“Donald Trump survived attempts to kill him and have him imprisoned through a perversion of America’s justice system. The American people elected him again to smash Washington corruption with a hammer, and gave him a mandate to choose the right team to do it. The Senate should unite behind his nominees, get them confirmed, and get to work delivering on our promises,” Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee told the Caller.
