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Some of President Donald Trump the most controversial executive branch nominees are scheduled to appear before congressional committees next week. The Commander-in-Chief promises that they will shake up the relevant departments if approved by the Senate.
Kashyap “Kash” Patel nominee to be the next FBI director will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee, while the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) is selecting Tulsi Gabbard, with a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing scheduled for the same day.
Some of Trump’s most controversial executive nominees are scheduled to appear before congressional committees next week. Kashyap “Cash” Patel (left) has been nominated to be the next FBI director, while Tulsi Gabbard (right) has been nominated for Trump’s Director of National Intelligence (DNI). (Jack Gruber/USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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Meanwhile, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., chosen to be the director of the Department of Health and Human Services, will face questions Wednesday from members of the Senate Finance Committee, which directly oversees the department. He will also appear before the Senate Health, Education, Work and Pensions (HELP) committee on Thursday for a courtesy hearing.
The Senate’s “consult and consent” role allows the body to review presidential appointments and provide oversight of key positions. The selection requires a majority vote in the Senate, with Republicans holding a 53-47 majority over Democrats.
But everyone is waiting for tough battles to cross the border. The Senate put forward Art Pete Hegsett nomination as Trump’s defense secretary on Thursday with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, breaking ranks.
Patel has called for radical changes at the FBI and has been a harsh and vocal critic of the bureau’s work investigating ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
He held numerous national security roles during the first Trump administration and was the lead investigator in the congressional investigation into alleged collusion between Trump and Russia, which uncovered government surveillance abuses that led to the appointment of two special counsels: one who determined there was no collusion and another who determined that the entire premise of the original FBI investigation was bogus.
Trump nominated Patel to be FBI director. (Getty Images)
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Patel was integral to the creation of a memo released by then-Chairman Devin Nunes in February 2018 that detailed the Department of Justice and FBI’s surveillance of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
He has been a staunch Trump ally for years, finding common ground in their shared skepticism about government surveillance and the “deep state,” a word Trump has used to refer to unelected members of the government bureaucracy.
Meanwhile, Trump says Gabbard will bring “the fearless spirit that defined her brilliant career to our intelligence community, defending our constitutional rights and bringing peace through force.” The Director of National Intelligence leads the U.S. intelligence community, which includes overseeing the National Intelligence Program and advising the President on security matters.
Gabbard has served as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve since 2021 after previously serving in the Hawaii Army National Guard for about 17 years. She was elected in st US House of Representatives representing Hawaii during 2012 election cycle, serving as a Democrat until 2021. She did not seek re-election to the post after entering the race for the White House in 2020.
Gabbard left the Democratic Party in 2022, registering as an independent, before joining the Republican Party last year and offering her full support to Trump during his presidential campaign.
Critics have tried to paint Gabbard as a national security risk who is sympathetic to US adversaries.
However, more than 250 veterans signed the letter last month supporting her nomination, including high profile and nationally known names such as retired General Michael Flynn and former Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is also a controversial choice and could face opposition. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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Kennedy Jr. is also a controversial choice and could face opposition, even from Republicans. In particular, Kennedy’s views and past statements on vaccines have been scrutinized by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers.
Lawmakers of the Republican Party were concerned about Kennedy’s pro-abortion views what it has supported in the past and its potential impact on the agricultural sector.
In what was a signature move by the former Democrat, Kennedy dropped out of the 2024 presidential race as an independent and endorsed Trump, promising to “make America healthy again” if he was part of the new administration.
Fox News’ Emma Colton and Brooke Syngman contributed to this report.
