BURSTFormer national security advisor John Bolton said some lawmakers may be trying to “appease” President-elect Trump by supporting his Cabinet nominees after strong opposition to former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as his original attorney general pick on Monday.
“I think there‘s a temptation unfortunately for some, to try and appease Trump after they‘ve opposed Gaetz by supporting some of his others,” Bolton said on CNN in a clip highlighted by Grabien.
After Gaetz withdrew from the attorney general post in late November, senators have zeroed in on nominees including Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard, who have both been accused of unethical conduct.
“I think what a substantial number of Republican senators want is for these nominations just to go away so that they don‘t have to announce or actually come to a vote to support or oppose them,” he told anchor Katilan Collins. “That's what happened with Gaetz.”
Six GOP senators are reported to be opposed to Hegseth’s nomination while others have strongly advocated for him to be confirmed as Secretary of Defense.
“To avoid both pressure and the risk of shaming themselves by voting for unqualified candidates, people are hoping for information to come out that either disqualifies them or shows that some of the criticisms that have been made are inaccurate,” Bolton said. “I think that’s where some of the FBI background checks are important.”
Some of Trump’s advisers previously suggested background checks weren’t needed for nominees, however, Senate Republicans rejected the proposal last month citing the critical need for formal investigations into candidates' professional and personal track record.