Previously this week, the process of confirming Presidential Elect Donald J. Trump’s Cabinet nominees began in the Senate. Senators interviewed and asked the Cabinet nominees questions relating to their character, qualifications, and ability to run the department or position they are nominated for. The Presidential Cabinet consists of 15 department heads as well as the Vice President. Due to Trump’s exceedingly Republican ideologies and political standpoints, he nominated a Cabinet of far right-wing supporters and advocates. With several potential department heads and only a few confirmation hearings conducted so far, let’s focus on the more controversial nominees, like Pam Bondi and Pete Hegseth.
Pam Bondi
Pam Bondi is Trump’s Cabinet pick nominee for head of the Department of Justice, otherwise known as Attorney General. The Attorney General enforces the Constitution and the Supreme Court’s rulings to ensure public safety and control over crime, as well as being a representative for the United States in legal matters. 59 year old Pam Bondi served an eight-year tenure as Florida’s Attorney General up until 2018. During her tenure Bondi expressed opposition to legal protections for the LGBTQ+ community, and supported anti-human trafficking efforts. Bondi’s connection to Trump goes back to January 2020, during his first administration when she defended Trump in his first of two impeachment trials.
During her hearing Bondi held composure when answering questions relating to her character and prior experience as an Attorney General. However, she did not present much knowledge relating to her ability to interpret the Constitution. When asked by California Senator Alex Padilla,”Do you believe birthright citizenship is the law of the land and will you defend it regardless of a child born in the United States’ parents immigration status?”. Bondi responded with, ”Senator, I will study birthright citizenship. I would love to meet with you regarding birthright citizenship.”. In response, Senator Padilla said,“Ma’am you are asking to be considered to serve as the Attorney General of the United States and you still need to study the 14th Amendment of the Constitution? That is not helping me have more confidence in your ability to do this job.”. Bondi’s insufficiency to understand and interpret the Constitution before the Senate raised tension in the courtroom.
In addition to Bondi’s unprepared response, she actively evaded simple yes or no questions relating to the 2020 election. When asked once more by Mr. Padilla,”Do you have any evidence of election fraud or regularities in the 2020 election? It’s a yes or no question.” Bondi responded with an irrelevant tangent about her experience in Pennsylvania during the election and did not accurately answer the simple yes or no question. Bondi’s response represents her putting protection of the Trump Administration first and the job of Attorney General second as her priorities. Pam Bondi’s inability to accurately answer the Senator’s questions about the Constitution and the 2020 election not only reflects her unqualification but also begs the question, does Pam Bondi have the power to say no to the President? If President Trump asked her to put him over the Constitution like he did Mike Pence on January 6th, would she do it?
Pete Hegseth
Pete Hegseth is Trump’s Cabinet pick for head of the Department of Defense, otherwise known as the Secretary of Defense. The Department of Defense provides the military the resources it needs to go to war and protects the country from foreign or domestic danger. 44 year old Pete Hegseth graduated from Princeton University, was a FOX-news host since 2014(a right-leaning American news source described to have a bias in support of Trump), and a veteran of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Although Hegseth’s experience in the military makes a sufficient quality for a head of the Department of Defense, his personal reputation is far from perfect, with numerous allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse, as well as proven affairs during both his first and second marriages, one of which taking place while his first wife was pregnant. An example of his controversial reputation is when even his mother accused him of mistreating women in an email from 2018, published recently by the New York Times. Only two months ago, in a debate on the Shawn Ryan Show(a youtube podcast), at 56:52 Hegseth said,”I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles.”.
During his hearing, Hegseth was frequently asked questions concerning his past affairs, sexual assault allegations, and alcohol abuse allegations. “True or false answers, in an event in North Carolina, drunk in front of three young female staff members” said Arizona Senator Mark Kelly. In response to these questions Hegseth did not give any explicit true or false responses but instead repeatedly said the phrase ”anonymous smears” in reply, indicating an inability to confirm nor deny the allegations.
Aside from military experience and knowledge, a head of the Department of Defense must have a sufficient understanding of foreign affairs and national security. When asked by Illinnois Senator Tammy Duckworth,”Can you name the importance of at least one of the nations in ASEAN(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and what type of agreement we have with at least one of those nations, and how many nations are in ASEAN?”. Hegseth responded with,”I couldn’t tell you the exact amount of nations in that but I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan and in AUKUS(an Alliance between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) with Australia trying to work on submarines with them.” “Mr. Hegseth none of those three countries that you mentioned are in ASEAN. I suggest you do a little homework before you prepare for these types of negotiations.” said Senator Ducksworth. Pete Hegseth’s inability to answer a question that the average high school student knows the answer goes to show that he lacks the depth of knowledge required to handle foreign affairs and negotiations with other countries. In addition, Senator Jack Reed, the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, said to Hegseth, “Unfortunately, you lack the character and composure and competence to hold the position of Secretary of Defense .” Mr. Reed is one of many Democratic Senators voting to deny Hegseth the position of Secretary of Defense.
So, what now?
After long, extensive, and difficult confirmation hearings for the Cabinet nominees, it is up to a Senate majority vote to determine if the nominees are confirmed or denied as head of their department. Due to the previous Trump administration and a current rise in conservatism, the Republican party currently dominates the Senate with 52-45 Republican to Democrat party ratio. Because Republicans dominate the Senate, there is a strong chance that despite the evident and overwhelming opposition the Democrats have against the nominees, they could still be confirmed. The results of the confirmation hearings of President Elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees will test how Republicans in the Senate react to the displays of unqualification presented by the nominees and if Republicans will consider different candidates or comply with whoever Trump chooses for the sole reason that it is Donald Trump. This once again begs the question, do Republicans have the ability to say no to Trump? If not, America is in for a ride.
