Now that scandal-plagued ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has stepped aside as Donald Trump's nominee to be attorney general, Republicans are sending out signals that his other cabinet nominees will be receiving increased scrutiny after the "botched" selection.
In a report from the Wall Street Journal, there is evidence that GOP lawmakers –– particularly those in the Senate who will have a vote on key cabinet positions –– are moving on to equally problematic nominees including Department of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and, particularly Tulsi Gabbard who was chosen to be Trump’s director of national intelligence.
According to the Journal's Aaron Zitner and Natalie Andrews, "Some Republican senators are voicing private concerns about Gabbard, who would be Trump’s director of national intelligence, according to one person familiar with the matter, raising the prospect of a new round of scrutiny for Trump’s picks."
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In an interview Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) was blunt about the prospects of Gabbard, a former Democrat who served in the House, due to her questionable views on American allies and enemies.
“I’m going to have to have a very compelling story for anybody who’s going to influence policy in Ukraine,” Tillis stated. “At DNI, I don’t know if that’s her or not, but when I get into the nomination process, I have no intention of supporting anybody who equivocates on support for Ukraine.”
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI) also said with Gaetz gone, Gabbard has a mountain to climb, saying scrutiny will "shift to these national-security picks, and that will, I think, raise additional questions about fitness.”
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