President Donald Trump's nominees for key Cabinet positions faced contentious confirmation hearings, and a key ally who helped spearhead Trump's ground campaign is firing more warning shots — at Republicans.
Several Republican senators have recently waffled on some of Trump's Cabinet nominees.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) expressed "reservations" about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — nominated for Health and Human Services secretary — over his previous stances on vaccine safety.
Multiple Republicans quizzed former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard over her opinions on Russian aggression, government surveillance, and Edward Snowden. Gabbard, nominated to become Trump's director of national intelligence, left Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) underwhelmed over her refusal to call Edward Snowden a traitor.
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Gabbard repeated a line she wrote in her opening statement, saying that Snowden "broke the law." She refused to say whether she continued to support him or agree with his actions and appeared to defend Snowden's actions, saying he "exposed egregious, illegal and unconstitutional programs that are happening within our government."
Lankford told Punchbowl News he was "Kinda surprised. I thought that was gonna be an easy softball question."
“It’s pass-fail. You either support everyone or you don’t,” a senior White House official told NBC News earlier in the month. “The Senate needs to advise and consent, not advise and adjust."
And on Thursday, Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative organization Turning Point Action, reiterated that Republicans need to play ball — or else.
"Senate Republicans wouldn’t have a majority if it wasn’t for Trump. Now, they want to try and block his cabinet and thwart his agenda This is against every core principle we hold dear. They think they can overrule the will of the voters. They must confirm Kash Tulsi and RFK or face serious consequences," he threatened on X.