President-elect Donald Trump hasn't wasted any time nominating key members of his incoming administration during the lame-duck period. But the immense blowback to several of his Cabinet nominees has some members of his party worried about the viability of some high-profile picks.
NBC News reported Saturday that Trump's Cabinet nomination process has been likened to the HBO series "Game of Thrones" by one unnamed member of the presidential transition. Trump's eldest son, Donald Jr., and incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles reportedly butt heads often on who will serve in which position. Those two have also notably been identified as heads of different factions within the Trump transition who have competing goals.
One unnamed Republican senator said that Trump prizing loyalty above all other attributes has led to him picking subpar Cabinet secretaries who may not withstand the rigorous confirmation process next year. The lawmaker anonymously opined to NBC that the president-elect "botched up the nomination process pretty bad."
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"They clearly aren’t vetting these people," the senator said.
So far, Trump has already had one high-profile nominee withdraw their consideration for a top post, when former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) pulled his name out of consideration just eight days after Trump nominated him to be attorney general. Gaetz has since been replaced with former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose more recent career as a lobbyist — including for a foreign government — could still prove contentious when she appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee in January.
The Trump transition team was also reportedly caught off-guard by the police report an alleged sexual assault victim filed against Fox News personality Pete Hegseth, who Trump nominated to lead the Department of Defense. The New York Times reported that Hegseth's mother once wrote a lengthy email calling out his "abusive behavior" toward women while he was in the middle of his divorce from his former wife, Samantha.
Republicans will likely be able to confirm most of Trump's nominees, as they'll have a 53-seat majority in the Senate. But because four defections could sink confirmation, all eyes will be on more moderate senators like Susan Collins (R-Maine), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) when confirmation votes reach the full Senate floor.
READ MORE: Matt Gaetz withdraws his nomination for attorney general
Click here to read NBC's report in its entirety.