MEMO: The Increasingly Dangerous Slate of Trump Nominees a Crisis of Conscience for Senators

MEMORANDUM

To: Interested Parties

From: Tony Carrk, Accountable.US Executive Director

Date: November 16, 2024

Re: Increasingly Dangerous Slate of Trump Nominees a Crisis of Conscience for Senators

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President-elect Trump’s cabinet nominations thus far have shown he is putting a premium on loyalty to himself over the well-being of everyday Americans. Everything from national security to public health, military readiness, and clean air and water are at stake. But, we have always known this is what President-elect Trump would do. The question now is: will Senate Republicans go along with him?

Given the extreme records of these nominees, Senate Republicans need to take their constitutional role of advice and consent seriously. That means, at the very least, they must agree to vetting these nominees and holding public hearings. If Senators vote to confirm these nominees, they will be every bit as responsible for the consequences. There can be no plausible deniability. They are not bystanders. And there can be no surprises or comments of “concern” later when these nominees enact their agenda. 

THESE TRUMP NOMINEES, CHOSEN FOR THEIR POLITICAL LOYALTY, COULD ENDANGER AMERICAN LIVES IF SENATORS ALLOW IT: 

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, nominee to be Attorney General:

• Gaetz, who resigned from the House after his nomination, is a “fierce partisan” and one of “Trump’s most aggressive defenders in public.” Republican Rep. Max Miller (R-OH), who is critical of the nomination, has suggested “‘the president is probably rewarding [Gaetz] for being such a loyal soldier.’” Gaetz, who was the subject of a federal investigation into sex-traffcking allegations, has vowed to be “an avenger who will tear down and rebuild” the Justice Department, in line with Trump’s own vows to seek revenge against federal officials who have prosecuted or investigated him.
• The editors of the conservative National Review called Gaetz “an unqualified toady.” And several Republican senators were bewildered at Gaetz’s selection. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) was “shocked”; Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said “I don’t think it’s a serious nomination”; Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) changed the subject; and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) dodged, with ““I’m trying to go fix a toilet between getting back for a vote.’” 
• When Gaetz was first announced, “pretty much every Hill Republican” thought something “strange” was happening, with many suggesting that Trump made the nomination merely to give Gaetz an “out” from the pending release of a “damning” House ethics report on allegations that Gaetz had sex with a minor. Former Trump national Security adviser, who called Gaetz “‘the worst Cabinet appointment in recent American history,’” has called on the FBI to investigate him before his confirmation hearings.
• Gaetz was originally not among “many potential attorneys general” originally vetted by Trump’s team, and he was suddenly and unexpectedly named during a two-hour plane trip, while Trump’s incoming Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was reportedly “in a different, adjacent room on the plane, apparently unaware.”

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, nominee to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI):

• Gabbard—who “lacks deep intelligence experience,” has been “soft on Russia,” and has “floated numerous conspiracy theories”—would oversee 18 intelligence agencies critical to national security as the “president’s top intelligence adviser.” Gabbard “hasn’t held any senior government roles,” unlike other Directors of National Intelligence.
• Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton called for an FBI investigation into Gabbard before her confirmation hearings, saying, “‘given the Russian propaganda that she has espoused over the past period of time, I think she’s a serious threat to our national security.’” Bolton said Gabbard’s appointment was “‘the worst Cabinet appointment in recent American history,’” until Rep. Matt Gaetz was nominated for Attorney General just hours later. 
• Gabbard was called “‘ill-prepared and unqualified’” by former CIA officer Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), who was “‘appalled’” by the selection, noting Gabbard “‘traffics in conspiracy theories and cozies up to dictators like Bashar-al Assad and Vladimir Putin.’”
• Gabbard is one of Trump’s “most vocal supporters” and is expected to play a critical part in his vengeance against what he calls the “‘deep state.’” Trump claims the intelligence community undermined his first administration and his political campaigns, saying, “‘we will clean out all of the corrupt actors in our national security and intelligence apparatus.’” Gabbard, in turn, has claimed Trump’s first term was undermined by career officials “’who were trying to undermine his objectives.’”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services:

• In less than a year, RFK Jr. transformed from a contender in the democratic primary to one of Trump’s most loyal backers as he. endorsed the President-elect when he dropped his independent bid for the presidency and eventually became an honorary co-chair of Trump’s transition team.
• RFK Jr.’s former organization, the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense, currently has sued several news organizations, for identifying misinformation, “including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines,” which they allege violate antitrust laws. Though RFK Jr. took leave when he announced his presidential run, he is listed as one of the group’s attorneys in the lawsuit.
• Dr. Peter Lurie, the president of the public health watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest, said RFK Jr. “is not remotely qualified for the role and should be nowhere near the science-based agencies.” Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia (D-CA) posted on X that RFK Jr.’s nomination was “f*cking insane,” calling the HHS nominee a “vaccine denier and a tin foil hat conspiracy theorist.”
• Doctors around the country have decried RFK Jr.’s nomination with one infectious disease physician at the University of Southern California calling the announcement a “scary day for public health.” Dr. Ashish Jha, who served as a former Biden White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, said “I think this is an extraordinarily bad choice.”

Pete Hegseth, nominee to be Secretary of Defense:

• Hegseth, a Fox News host who would lead “America’s largest government agency” with 1.3 million active-duty service members, “has no senior command experience.” 
• Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, said “‘I did not know who Pete Hegseth was until about 20 minutes ago,” adding, “‘”he does not seem to have much of a detailed background in [Department of Defense] policy’” and said “‘the lack of experience is concerning.” 
• Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), a retired Army Ranger, called Hegseth “‘woefully unqualified to make the types of life-and-death decisions the secretary of defense has to make.’”
• Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a former Army helicopter pilot, called Hegseth “‘dangerous, plain and simple,’” adding “‘putting someone as dangerously unqualified as Pete Hegseth into that role is something that should scare all of us,’” and “‘our troops, our military families and our national security will pay the price.’”
• Hegseth’s nomination left “even some Republicans scratching their heads.” Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton called Hegseth a “‘fealty’” choice, adding, “‘I think what Trump wants from his appointees is subservience.’” On the other side of the aisle, Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) said Hegseth is “‘unqualified to be the secretary of defense,’” adding, “‘what he’s being installed to do is to say yes and to supplicate himself to the will of the White House.”
• Hegseth, who has “vocally supported service members accused of war crimes,” has suggested a variety of policies that “would roll back decades of efforts to promote diversity and expand opportunities for women and LGBTQ service members,” even calling to fire Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair CQ Brown and any other generals involved in diversity efforts. Hegseth has said that he believes women should not be allowed to serve in combat. One defense official said, “At a time when recruiting continues to be a challenge this will have a chilling effect on women wanting to join,” adding that they will see that “the most senior civilian in the Pentagon does not value their service.”

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, nominee to be Secretary of Homeland Security:

• Noem is a loyalist to both Trump and the MAGA movement who was once seen as a potential VP pick. Her controversy over killing her dog eliminated her from being VP, but she still continued to campaign for Trump. 
• Noem has lied outright about and inflated her experience. In her book called “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward,” Noem lied multiple times about meeting with world leaders, including North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and French President Emmanuel Macron.
• Noem was a representative from South Dakota, has served as the state’s governor since 2019, and her direct experience with the border was misguided at best and racist at worst. Noem described the U.S.’s southern border as a “war zone” when she sent National Guard troops there to supposedly stop drug smugglers and human traffickers. Records from the Guard show that the troops didn’t seize any drugs during their two-month stint at the border, and there were zero confirmed encounters with “transnational criminals.”

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, nominee to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

• Zeldin is a Trump loyalist who was Trump’s biggest defender during his first impeachment and voted against impeachment, both times. Additionally, Zeldin voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results that found President Biden had won against Trump. During the 2024 Republican National Convention, Zeldin sat in Trump’s VIP box.
• Long Island Sound, Zeldin’s former district, struggles with pollution. However, “Zeldin voted to cut EPA funding, scrap its chemicals risk assessment program, and block the agency from taking action to restrict carbon pollution.” In 2017, he missed the “vote on whether to defund the EPA’s criminal law enforcement program but voted to prohibit funds from being used for this purpose the prior year.” 
• Zeldin has campaigned for Congress on coastal resilience and nature preservation issues, but consistently voted against reducing greenhouse gas emissions. During Zeldin’s gubernatorial campaign, he pushed for opening New York to fracking. Zeldin has prioritized economic growth over environmental protection by focusing on energy independence, supporting new natural gas pipelines, and opposing congestion pricing.

Todd Blanche, nominee to be Deputy Attorney General:

• Blanche was nominated to be the Deputy Attorney General after working as Trump’s personal attorney, defending the President-elect “in three of the criminal cases against him, including in Florida, over his handling of classified documents in Florida; in Washington, regarding his efforts to subvert the 2020 election; and in Manhattan, for a hush money payment to a porn actress.”
• During Trump’s hush money case, Blanche “clashed on several occasions with Judge Juan Merchan,” who, when Blanche attempted to defend Trump’s violations of the judge’s gag order, questioned Blanche’s credibility. 

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