What to watch on a busy day of confirmation hearings for Trump’s Cabinet
CNN
President-elect Donald Trump’s picks for attorney general, secretary of state and several other key Cabinet posts are set to appear in front of Senate committees Wednesday for high-stakes confirmation hearings.
President-elect Donald Trump’s picks for attorney general, secretary of state and several other key Cabinet posts are set to appear in front of Senate committees Wednesday for high-stakes confirmation hearings. The hearings, five days before Trump takes office, come as the Republican-led Senate appears to be largely falling in line behind the president-elect’s choices. One of his most controversial picks, Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary, kicked off this week’s hearings Tuesday with an at times contentious appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee. But by the end of the day, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst – one of the few Republicans whose support was in question – announced she’d back his nomination. On Wednesday, two Floridians – Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump’s choice to lead the State Department, and former state Attorney General Pam Bondi, his choice to lead the Justice Department – are among the six names set for hearings, all of whom have generated less controversy than Hegseth. The other hearings on deck: former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy for the Transportation Department; energy industry executive Chris Wright for the Department of Energy; John Ratcliffe, a former congressman who was briefly director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term, for CIA director; and Russell Vought, one of the key authors of Project 2025, for the Office of Management and Budget. Here’s what to watch in Wednesday’s hearings:
Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, acknowledged Tuesday he is “not a perfect person” but was he defiant in the face of multiple allegations surrounding his past conduct during a contentious confirmation hearing.
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Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Defense Department, plans to tell the Senate Armed Services Committee that he would like to restore a “warrior culture” to the Pentagon, according to his opening statement that was obtained by CNN.
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, will face a Senate panel Tuesday for his confirmation hearing as he is expected to be questioned over allegations ranging from sexual assault to excessive drinking in the workplace.
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