Trump's controversial Cabinet and top picks face uncertain future in Washington

Washington — President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet and senior staff picks face an uncertain future as his selections have received mixed reviews in recent days, even from his fellow Republicans — and a handful of them sent shockwaves through Washington.

Trump's selection as attorney general of former Rep. Matt Gaetz, a GOP firebrand who was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for allegations of sexual misconduct and obstruction, sparked criticism from both sides of the aisle. And Trump's pick for defense secretary in Pete Hegseth, an Army veteran and former Fox News anchor, has also raised concerns, especially as an investigation into allegations of sexual assault against him was made public. Additionally, former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick for director of national intelligence, has no intelligence experience and has been criticized for her views on Russia and other U.S. adversaries.

Appearing on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday, Democratic Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut expressed surprise at those who questioned whether the experience was necessary when asked about Gabbard, saying “of course it’s necessary.”

“These people are clearly not qualified, and you know, they're not prepared to run the very complex organizations that they've been asked to run,” Himes said.

But Himes, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Gaetz's qualifications should also be examined, along with the unreleased report from the House Ethics Committee.

“How come we focus on this?” » Himes said. “Matt Gaetz is not, in any respect, totally incompetent to be attorney general, and yet we're sort of focused on this, you know, the icing on the cake of the ethics report.”

Gaetz's resignation from Congress after Trump's announcement came days before a planned meeting and vote by the House Ethics Committee on whether to release a report on its investigation of Gaetz. Chairman Mike Johnson said Friday he would “strongly urge” that committee to withhold the potentially damaging report.

Rep. French Hill, an Arkansas Republican who also appeared Sunday on “Face the Nation,” said Johnson was making “an important point,” warning that “we don't want to set a precedent where, under any circumstances, we will publish.” documents of this committee. But he stressed that the decision rests solely with the committee, while noting that regarding Trump's selections, the Senate will exercise its advisory and approval role through the confirmation process.

“President Trump has the prerogative to appoint the people he believes can best lead the change the American people seek in each and every agency of the federal government,” Hill said.

The Arkansas Republican pointed out that when Trump took office in 2017, there were members of his cabinet with whom he had no personal relationship or professional experience.

“He wants to correct that this time by finding people he has a good working relationship with. He knows how they think, they know how he thinks, because he thinks that will lead to better decision-making within his administration,” Hill said.

For his part, Himes praised some of Trump's other choices.

“I actually had a really good day when Marco Rubio was named secretary of state, when John Ratcliffe was named to the CIA and when Mike Waltz was named national security adviser,” Ratcliffe said. “These are good appointments, not necessarily the ones I would have made if I had been president, but they are serious people with real experience.”

He nonetheless cautioned Republicans in the Senate as the confirmation process unfolds, saying he understands “what happens to Republicans who stand up to Donald Trump” but that “history is a harsh judge.”

“History will remember the Republican senator who votes to confirm Matt Gaetz, Robert Kennedy or Tulsi Gabbard as someone who completely abdicated responsibility to Donald Trump,” Himes said.

Sue Gordon, who served as principal deputy director of national intelligence under Trump and also appeared on “Face the Nation” on Sunday, stressed that oversight will be key to moving the process forward, amid a report from the New York Times reported that Trump's team could bypass the typical FBI procedure and instead choose to use a private company to vet its candidates for security clearances.

“It seems timely, but I think it will end up hurting the institution,” Gordon said, emphasizing that a private company would not have the same standards. “I know it’s not practical, but I think it’s a bad strategy and risky for America.”

Meanwhile, the Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan group that helps with presidential transitions, confirmed to CBS News that the Trump team did not sign documents allowing, among other things, security clearances and background checks. Gordon said she couldn't think of a “good reason” for Team Trump to forgo transition red tape, saying “one of the great lies perpetrated against America is that our institutions are evil.” .

“You're not protecting anyone by not signing these documents, especially some of the candidates we have who don't have a very deep experience base,” Gordon said. “Starting your work without any foundation, especially when institutions are begging for that foundation, just seems wrong.”

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Kaia Hubbard

Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, DC.

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