A conservative commentator faced outright laughter Friday as he tried to defend the qualifications of Donald Trump's administration nominees.
Republican operative Lance Trover was met with a scoffing chuckle on CNN as he argued Trump faced "overly harsh" criticism over unconventional nominations of prominent loyalists, many of them Fox News regulars, to Cabinet-level positions.
"Look, does Donald Trump like people who are on TV?" said Trover. "Yes, of course he does, there's no question – that's not news here. Each one of those individuals have backgrounds and qualifications in their own right."
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Trover pointed to television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz, whom Trump has nominated to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as an example.
"Dr. Oz was a respected physician before he was on television," Trover said. "I think the Senate will have tough questions for each one of these individuals, but my sense is that they will get through and pass like everyone else."
But Democratic strategist Maria Cardona argued many of Trump's picks would go into confirmation hearings with disqualifying backgrounds.
"It spans from completely unserious picks to dangerous picks," Cardona said. "I think Tulsi Gabbard is a dangerous pick to be the director of national intelligence."
Cardona pointed to criticism from Nikki Haley, the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, who said she found Gabbard's past commentary to be "disgusting."
"She is cozy with dictators and with people who are not our friends, and that is a dangerous position to be putting someone who can't be trusted with our national secrets," said Cardona. "And also people like Pete Hegseth, the allegations that he has against him. That is dangerous to be putting somebody like that in that position, though he has denied the allegations and he was not charged."
"But here's the point," Cardona added. "I would love to get your thoughts on this – what, does the Republican Party have no other choices than to pick people who have those kinds of allegations in the past?"
Trover argued that presidents should be able to choose the Cabinet officials they want to serve.
"I think the president is due some deference and latitude," Trover said. "[Hegseth] is also a decorated veteran who honorably served this country. I mean, and he has he has Ivy League degrees. I mean, usually for the people in your party, that's like a shoo-in for a job here in Washington, D.C."
"Except for the allegations that he has against him," Cardona cut in, as host Pamela Brown ended the segment.
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