Donald Trump’s cabinet picks —Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel— face tough Senate scrutiny: Key takeaway

US President Donald Trump’ s most controversial Cabinet nominees Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel faced tough questioning during her confirmation hearings. Tulsi Gabbard is nominee for director of national intelligence, Kash Patel is Trump’s pick to lead the FBI and Kennedy, chosen to head the Department of Health and Human Services, all encountered tough questions during confirmation hearings.

Here are the key takeaways from confirmation hearings

Tulsi Gabbard speaks on comments on Russia

Gabbard, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, defended her loyalty to the U.S. She dismissed Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, when he asked whether Russia would “get a pass” from her. Republican Senator Jerry Moran told Gabbard he wanted to ensure that “in no way does Russia get a pass in either your mind or your heart or in any policy recommendation you would make or not make.” Gabbard responded that she was “offended by that question,” and saying, “If confirmed, no country, group or individual will get a pass.”

Democratic Senator Michael Bennet quoted a tweet by Tulsi Gabbard in which she expressed support for Russia, stating “This war and suffering could be easily avoided if Biden administration/NATO had simply adcknowledged Russia’s legitimate security concerns regarding Ukraine’s becoming a member of NATO.” He also spoke on Russian state TV aired her comments and called her “our friend Tulsi”.

Tulsi Gabbard on 2017 meet with then-President Bashar Assad

Gabbard traveled to Syria in 2017 to meet with then-President Bashar Assad, a visit that angered lawmakers from both parties who said she helped legitimize an accused war criminal and key ally of Russia and Iran. However, at the hearing, Gabbard defended herself and told lawmakers that she had asked Assad “tough questions about his regime’s actions.”

Tulsi Gabbard on Edward Snowden

Gabbard, a former Democratic U.S. House representative, faced harsh criticism of her past defense of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Members of both parties sharply questioned Gabbard’s past defense of Snowden.

Gabbard has repeatedly praised Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor who fled to Russia after he was charged in 2013 with illegally exposing government surveillance methods. Considered a traitor by many security officials, Gabbard called him a “brave whistleblower” and as a lawmaker sponsored legislation to pardon him.

Pressed whether that’s still her view, Gabbard said that “Even as he broke the law, he released information that exposed egregious, illegal and unconstitutional programs that are happening within our government”. Without giving a yes or no, she repeatedly evaded questions from Senators on whether Snowden was a traitor. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pressed again on vaccine safety

Kennedy faced a second day of grilling to become Health and Human Services secretary, this time at the Senate Health committee, as senators probed his past views against vaccines and whether he would ban the abortion drug mifepristone.

But what skeptical Democratic senators have been driving at is whether Kennedy is trustworthy — if he holds fast to his past views or has shifted to new ones — echoing concerns raised by his cousin Caroline Kennedy that he is a charismatic “predator” hungry for power.

“You’ve spent your entire career undermining America’s vaccine program,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. “It just isn’t believable that when you become secretary you are going to become consistent with science.”

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., took the conversation in a different direction reading Kennedy’s comments about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in which he said in a social media post, “It’s hard to tell what is conspiracy and what isn’t.” 

Kash Patel’s false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., read aloud Kash Patel’s false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election and another about his published “enemies list” that includes former Trump officials who have been critical of the president.

“’We’re going to come after you,’” she read him saying. Patel dismissed her citations as a “partial statement” and “false.” Klobuchar, exasperated, told senators, “It’s his own words.”

During one jarring moment, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., asked Patel to turn around and look at the U.S. Capitol Police officers protecting the hearing room. “Tell them you’re proud of what you did. Tell them you’re proud that you raised money off of people that assaulted their colleagues, that pepper sprayed them, that beat them with poles,” Schiff said.

Patel fired back: “That’s an abject lie, you know it. I never, never, ever accepted violence against law enforcement.”

Patel said he did not endorse Trump’s sweeping pardon of supporters, including violent rioters, charged in the January 6 attack. “I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement,” Patel said.

(With inputs from Associated Press, Reuters)

US President Donald Trump’ s most controversial Cabinet nominees Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel faced tough questioning during her confirmation hearings. Tulsi Gabbard is nominee for director of national intelligence, Kash Patel is Trump’s pick to lead the FBI and Kennedy, chosen to head the Department of Health and Human Services, all encountered tough questions during confirmation hearings.

Here are the key takeaways from confirmation hearings

Tulsi Gabbard speaks on comments on Russia

Gabbard, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, defended her loyalty to the U.S. She dismissed Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, when he asked whether Russia would “get a pass” from her. Republican Senator Jerry Moran told Gabbard he wanted to ensure that “in no way does Russia get a pass in either your mind or your heart or in any policy recommendation you would make or not make.” Gabbard responded that she was “offended by that question,” and saying, “If confirmed, no country, group or individual will get a pass.”

Democratic Senator Michael Bennet quoted a tweet by Tulsi Gabbard in which she expressed support for Russia, stating “This war and suffering could be easily avoided if Biden administration/NATO had simply adcknowledged Russia’s legitimate security concerns regarding Ukraine’s becoming a member of NATO.” He also spoke on Russian state TV aired her comments and called her “our friend Tulsi”.

Tulsi Gabbard on 2017 meet with then-President Bashar Assad

Gabbard traveled to Syria in 2017 to meet with then-President Bashar Assad, a visit that angered lawmakers from both parties who said she helped legitimize an accused war criminal and key ally of Russia and Iran. However, at the hearing, Gabbard defended herself and told lawmakers that she had asked Assad “tough questions about his regime’s actions.”

Tulsi Gabbard on Edward Snowden

Gabbard, a former Democratic U.S. House representative, faced harsh criticism of her past defense of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Members of both parties sharply questioned Gabbard’s past defense of Snowden.

Gabbard has repeatedly praised Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor who fled to Russia after he was charged in 2013 with illegally exposing government surveillance methods. Considered a traitor by many security officials, Gabbard called him a “brave whistleblower” and as a lawmaker sponsored legislation to pardon him.

Pressed whether that’s still her view, Gabbard said that “Even as he broke the law, he released information that exposed egregious, illegal and unconstitutional programs that are happening within our government”. Without giving a yes or no, she repeatedly evaded questions from Senators on whether Snowden was a traitor. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pressed again on vaccine safety

Kennedy faced a second day of grilling to become Health and Human Services secretary, this time at the Senate Health committee, as senators probed his past views against vaccines and whether he would ban the abortion drug mifepristone.

But what skeptical Democratic senators have been driving at is whether Kennedy is trustworthy — if he holds fast to his past views or has shifted to new ones — echoing concerns raised by his cousin Caroline Kennedy that he is a charismatic “predator” hungry for power.

“You’ve spent your entire career undermining America’s vaccine program,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. “It just isn’t believable that when you become secretary you are going to become consistent with science.”

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., took the conversation in a different direction reading Kennedy’s comments about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in which he said in a social media post, “It’s hard to tell what is conspiracy and what isn’t.” 

Kash Patel’s false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., read aloud Kash Patel’s false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election and another about his published “enemies list” that includes former Trump officials who have been critical of the president.

“’We’re going to come after you,’” she read him saying. Patel dismissed her citations as a “partial statement” and “false.” Klobuchar, exasperated, told senators, “It’s his own words.”

During one jarring moment, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., asked Patel to turn around and look at the U.S. Capitol Police officers protecting the hearing room. “Tell them you’re proud of what you did. Tell them you’re proud that you raised money off of people that assaulted their colleagues, that pepper sprayed them, that beat them with poles,” Schiff said.

Patel fired back: “That’s an abject lie, you know it. I never, never, ever accepted violence against law enforcement.”

Patel said he did not endorse Trump’s sweeping pardon of supporters, including violent rioters, charged in the January 6 attack. “I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement,” Patel said.

(With inputs from Associated Press, Reuters)