Vice President-elect JD Vance is working overtime to make sure Republican senators approve the controversial nominees President-elect Donald Trump has chosen.
Trump surprised many onlookers when he announced former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as his pick for attorney general and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as head the Department of Health and Human Services, per The Hill.
Vance plans to meet with
key Republican senators and Gaetz, according to a source.
Other meetings will involve Pete Hegseth, who Trump tapped to head the Department of Defense.
The outlet reported GOP senators are feeling pressured to confirm Trump’s nominations or risk facing challengers come the next primary.
“I think he’s worked through the whole Judiciary Committee. He’s calling folks, trying to get a sense of where things are,” one GOP senator said of Vance, who is calling on senators to give Gaetz and Kennedy a “shot,” or “hear them out” before making statements in public.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has said Gaetz was not “a serious nomination.”
Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the Trump-Vance transition team, said speed is of the essence so Trump’s administration can hit the ground running come Jan. 20.
“President Trump’s incoming administration is moving at an accelerated schedule in order to make good on getting key nominees confirmed in order to start delivering for the American people,” Hughes said.
Hughes added that Gaetz and Hegseth — plus former Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Trump’s picks to head the Veterans Affairs Department and serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, respectively — would start meeting with senators this week.
“Rep. Collins (VA), Rep. Gaetz (DOJ), Pete Hegseth (DOD), and Rep. Stefanik (UN) will all begin their meetings this week with additional Hill visits to continue after the Thanksgiving recess,” Hughes said.
Political retribution could be the price senators pay for not confirming Trump’s nominations, one senator said.
“I would think there would be danger for people who are in reddish states or who have a lot of potential primary challengers. I think the administration is definitely going to keep score,” said the senator, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
