As President-elect Donald Trump’s key cabinet nominations face increasing scrutiny and scandal, a leading Republican strategist has delivered a scathing rebuke, warning that Trump’s “inadequate vetting” and “disregard for qualifications” are bringing “chaos” back to Washington before he even takes office.
“Missed Opportunities” and “Controversy,” Warns Karl Rove
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Karl Rove, the influential GOP strategist known as “Bush’s Brain,” pulled no punches in his assessment of Trump’s cabinet woes. Rove warned that Trump’s “impatience” and “thirst for revenge” in his nominations have created unnecessary “chaos and controversy.”
The price for all this will be missed opportunities to shore up popular support for the incoming president. But at least it’ll make great TV.
Karl Rove in the Wall Street Journal
Rove’s rebuke comes as Trump’s Attorney General nominee, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name after just eight days amid allegations of sexual misconduct and improper use of campaign funds. Gaetz’s replacement, former Florida AG Pam Bondi, while more mainstream, faces her own questions about past Trump University scandals.
Pentagon Pick Hegseth Mired in Assault Allegation
Meanwhile, Trump’s choice for Defense Secretary, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, is under fire after the emergence of a 2017 police report alleging he sexually assaulted a woman in California. While Hegseth denies wrongdoing, the revelation has Republican Senators wavering on his confirmation.
This is why you have background checks. This is why you have hearings… it’s a pretty concerning accusation.
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Armed Services Committee Member
Controversial Picks Across the Board
Questions are also swirling around Trump’s other contentious cabinet selections:
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated for Secretary of Health, is a noted vaccine conspiracy theorist facing resurfaced sexual misconduct allegations.
- Tulsi Gabbard, slated to be Director of National Intelligence, is distrusted by both the left and right for her foreign policy positions.
- Linda McMahon, the WWE exec picked for Education Secretary, is accused in a lawsuit of failing to stop child sex abuse.
As Rove sums up, this parade of problematic picks reflects an “inadequate vetting” process driven more by “revenge” than reason. And that, the GOP mastermind warns, is a recipe for “missed opportunities” to build popular support, sacrificed for what will undoubtedly be riveting television.
With two months until Inauguration Day, all eyes now turn to the Senate to see if Trump’s chaotic cabinet can weather the storm of controversy – or if more high-profile withdrawals and rebukes are still to come in this transition tale of turmoil.
