The Senate had its arms full this week with a slew of affirmation hearings for President Donald Trump’s Cupboard nominees.
Amongst this week’s hearings have been Kash Patel, the nominee for FBI director who says he needs to shut down the FBI; Tulsi Gabbard, who’s nominated to steer nationwide intelligence regardless of having promoted overseas propaganda; and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nominee to go the Division of Well being and Human Providers who has routinely pushed harmful pseudoscience.
Democrats did a superb job dissecting RFK Jr.’s terrible positions on well being care throughout his affirmation hearings on Wednesday and Thursday.
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont broke down RFK Jr.’s crass profiteering, shaming him for promoting anti-vaccine merchandise whereas telling the committee he would assist vaccines.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts uncovered his incapacity to separate his enterprise from his potential authorities function.
And Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire passionately synthesized simply how dangerous RFK Jr. is to public well being.
In the meantime, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois grilled Patel on his myriad flaws, together with his relationship with Hitler fanboy podcaster Stew Peters. Patel appeared to have a critical case of cognitive decline as he claimed to not do not forget that title, although he has appeared on Peters’ present at least seven occasions.
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey confronted him on his testimony in Trump’s categorized paperwork case, for which Patel was compelled and granted immunity. His testimony, together with the second half of former particular counsel Jack Smith’s report, was sealed by Trump-appointed Choose Aileen Cannon.
Not letting up, Booker repeatedly requested Patel whether or not he had “dedicated against the law.”
In the meantime, Senate Republicans—like home struggle hawk Tom Cotton—appeared to recover from their preliminary misgivings about Gabbard, Trump’s (and in all probability Vladimir Putin’s) alternative to go U.S. intelligence.
However Gabbard, who helped unfold unfounded and heinous Russian propaganda, was taken to process for her previous phrases and actions by Democrats.
“You have repeatedly excused our adversaries’ worst actions and instead often blamed them on the United States and allies,” Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia stated.
Equally, Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado shared a quote of Gabbard’s from February 2022.
“At the very moment that Russian tanks were rolling across the peaceful border of Ukraine, for the first time, you tweeted … ‘this war and suffering could have easily been avoided if the Biden administration/NATO had simply acknowledged RussiMarka’s legitimate security concerns regarding Ukraine’s becoming a member of NATO.’ Did you say that, yes or no?” he requested.
Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona very deftly dismantled Gabbard’s poor logic, mentioning the defectiveness of her explanations for selling overseas propaganda.
“What I have seen makes it clear that at the same time that you were skeptical of our intelligence community’s assessments. You would not apply the same skepticism to information that came from sympathizers of Russian Assad,” he stated.
The truth that Pete Hegseth, an alleged rapist, home abuser, and alcoholic, was capable of safe sufficient GOP votes to steer the Division of Protection would possibly point out that these nominees for Trump’s dumpster hearth Cupboard will make it by means of, too.
