As controversy continues to destabilize some of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees, his team has a dire warning for Republicans who do not follow through on their nominees.
ABC News Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl reports that one Trump adviser said the message to lawmakers is, “If you’re on the wrong side of the ballot, you’re buying yourself a primary.”
“That’s it,” the counselor told Karl. “And there’s a guy named Elon Musk who’s going to pay for it.”
“The president decides to appoint the cabinet. No one else,” the adviser added.
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PHOTO: President Donald Trump attends the America First Policy Institute Gala held at Mar-a-Lago, November 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The threat came as Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth (the nominees for attorney general and defense secretary, respectively) toured Capitol Hill this week to drum up support. They were accompanied by vice president-elect JD Vance, a junior senator from Ohio.
Gaetz announced Thursday afternoon that he was withdrawing his name from consideration, saying his endorsement deal “was a mistake”.
Gaetz faces charges of misconduct and illegal drug use, which he has long denied, were the subject of a federal investigation and House Ethics Committee investigation. Hegseth was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017, a meeting Hegseth told police he agreed to.
Mr. Trump stood firm with the election, which also raised eyebrows because of his lack of experience leading the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense. Trump said it was Gaetz’s choice to leave.
Some of the president’s nominees have been similarly scrutinized for their qualifications, including Tulsi Gabbard as director of National Intelligence or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of the secretary of Health and Human Services.
PHOTO: President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz closes the door to a private meeting with Vice President-elect JD Vance and members of the Republican Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, Nov. 20, 2024. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
Trump has previously asked the Republican leadership to support so-called “recess appointments” to support the traditional way of confirmation. This approach would require the legislature to pause and for senators to waive their “advice and consent” role in nominations, as stipulated in the Constitution.
But his proposal is facing opposition from some Senate Republicans.
Senator Thom Tillis, a senior Republican and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the appointment of Cabinet seats should be “off the table.”
“And frankly, anybody who’s running for a Cabinet seat, I’d have to wonder if they’d like it or if they’re willing to take it under the rug,” Tillis said. “These positions are too big. It’s too heavy in the world to take a shortcut.”
IMAGE: Me. Thom Tillis appears before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Capitol Hill, November 20, 2024, in Washington. (Mark Schifelbein/AP)
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Several senators said they want a full process and vetting of candidates to be done.
Sen. Josh Hawley said Wednesday his goal is to vote for both nominees.
“The constitution gives us the duty of employees called advice and consent. My opinion is that this is exactly what will happen here if these nominees are properly forwarded, and we treat them like we treated everyone else with proper vetting,” he said. said longtime Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, who recently resigned.
Trump’s team warns Republicans to back Cabinet picks or face Musk-funded primary The post abcnews.go.com