Ornstein names those whom he says are “the worst Cabinet members in history”: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
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Because of the special power of impeachment, House Speaker Mike Johnson would have no choice but to prioritize those proceedings, offering the American public greater insight into “the brutal reality that the misconduct and outrages of these monsters” have created.
They would also require Republicans to “take a stand,” one way or another on a litany of actions, including: “RFK’s deadly move to block the Covid vaccine from children and other vulnerable populations,” “spreading vile and dangerous conspiracy theories,” “firing competent health professionals,” and “stopping vital research on cancer and other deadly diseases. Also, Republicans would have to take a stand on “endorsing Gabbard outing an undercover CIA agent, eviscerating our intelligence capability, and more.”
Dr. Ornstein also calls for Democrats to create a shadow Cabinet, and suggests a shadow HHS Secretary could give a press conference, “flanked by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Sen. Patty Murray, and other key members, outlining the case against Kennedy.”
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He also calls for “shadow impeachment hearings, bringing in witnesses that include victims of the assault on our health, from measles patients to those kicked out of key clinical trials to those fired by RFK. And field hearings outside clinics and hospitals—in Republican districts and red states—with physicians, nurses, researchers, and patients testifying.”
The same template could be used by a Shadow Intelligence Director, a Shadow CIA Director, a Shadow Secretary of Defense, a Shadow Attorney General, and a Shadow Homeland Security Secretary.
Other experts have called for the United States to adopt a U.K.-style system of “shadow government,” including historian Timothy Snyder. In January, Snyder explained that the “shadow ministers ‘shadowed’ the actual ministers,” akin to U.S. Cabinet secretaries, “in the sense of following their every move, criticizing policy and offering alternatives.”
“Importantly, the shadow minister was always available to offer commentary to the press on his or her area of expertise. This greatly enriched public life. At any point a journalist, and thus the public, had access to an alternative point of view, one which was both pertinently expert and politically relevant.”
In February, Dylan Williams, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Center for International Policy, wrote: “If the Trump admin is going to neglect or eliminate entire US Government functions, Democrats should select a shadow cabinet to fill the void. Send an alt SecState to the G20, have an alt CDC Director tell us what’s really going on with Bird Flu and TB, etc.”
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