Washington — Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Friday that he doesn’t believe there is “clarity” yet on whether all 53 Republican senators will support President-elect Donald Trump’s picks for his second administration.
In an interview with “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Thune, who took charge of the Senate on Friday with the start of the 119th Congress, was asked whether he knows some of his GOP colleagues will vote against confirming Pete Hegseth for defense secretary or Kash Patel for director of the FBI.
“We don’t have, at this point I don’t think, clarity on that,” Thune said. “I think these are nominees who are new enough, they’ve been going around and conducting their meetings, which I think, frankly, have gone very well, but they still have to make their case in front of the committee. And, you know, we don’t know all the information about some of these nominees. I think we know a lot about them, but they deserve a fair process, and that’s what we’ve committed to and promised and and I expect to deliver on.”
Thune noted that Republicans have a three-vote margin in the Senate and said each individual senator will decide how to vote on Trump’s picks.
“I do think that in most cases, at least most of our Republican senators are inclined to give the president the people that he wants in these positions, given, you know, the process that they go through and whether or not they can manage the committee process and ensure that they get to the floor for a vote,” he said.
Still, Thune predicted that “a lot of them will get through, and we’ll see about all of them.”
“I think that’s why we have the process, and we will adhere to that process and give all of these nominees an opportunity to make their case,” he said.
Thune is taking over as the Senate majority leader and head of the chamber’s Republican conference, a position he secured in November following the general election. The South Dakota senator succeeds Sen. Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, at the helm of the GOP.
With the 119th Congress officially underway, one of Thune’s first tasks as majority leader will be overseeing the confirmation process for Trump’s expected nominees to key government positions. Some of the president-elect’s picks, such as Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state and Rep. Elise Stefanik as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, are expected to easily win Senate approval.
But others, like Hegseth and Patel, face a less clear path. Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who served as a Democrat in the House, is also expected to come under close scrutiny by senators as they consider whether to confirm her for director of national intelligence, as is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who is Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Hegseth was on Capitol Hill last month working to shore up support from Republican senators following accusations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement of veterans’ charities and excessive drinking. Hegseth, a former Fox New host and Army veteran, has denied any wrongdoing.
Patel, meanwhile, is a Trump ally whose selection to lead the FBI has raised concerns that he would weaponize the agency to target the president-elect’s opponents. Gabbard does not have experience in the field of intelligence and has faced criticism for her positions on Russia’s war with Ukraine and U.S. involvement in Syria’s civil war.
Kennedy is likely to face questions about his past claims about vaccines and statements about their proven benefits and safety.
Patel, Gabbard and Kennedy were also on Capitol Hill meeting privately with senators before the holidays.
Most of the Senate committees that will conduct confirmation hearings for Trump’s expected nominees have not yet set dates for the proceedings. Hegseth is set to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing Jan. 14, chairman Roger Wicker announced last month. FBI background checks could also slow down the process.
Background checks are typically only shared with committee leaders and not the full panel, but some Republicans and Democrats have been pushing for access for the FBI’s report on Hegseth, according to Politico.
Asked whether he would encourage access to those background checks for senators, Thune said “sure,” adding, “I think that you want to have as much background as possible that is available to the committees as they make their decisions.”
But the president-elect has urged the GOP-led chamber to move swiftly, especially following the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans that left at least 14 people dead.
Thune, too, said earlier this week that the rampage on Bourbon Street underscores the need for the Senate to act quickly to confirm Trump’s nominees.
“The threat posed by ISIS will outlast this administration, and this is a clear example of why the Senate must get President Trump’s national security team in place as quickly as possible,” he wrote on X.
