By Patricia Zengerle, Sarah N. Lynch and Jonathan Landay
WASHINGTON – President-elect Donald Trump’s picks for top cabinet positions vowed not to politicize the agencies they would oversee, as they faced friendly questioning from Republican lawmakers in confirmation hearings on Wednesday.
Democrats pressed Trump’s choice for attorney general, Pam Bondi, and CIA director, John Ratcliffe, on whether they would prioritize their loyalty to Trump over their duty to the country.
But Republicans who control the chamber 53-47 gave the nominees a far warmer welcome, in a sign that the incoming president will likely have little trouble filling many key posts in his administration.
The Senate is evaluating a wave of cabinet picks ahead of Trump’s return to office on Monday. Along with Bondi and Ratcliffe, senators heard from Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick for Secretary of State, and Sean Duffy, his choice to oversee the Transportation Department. They were due to hear from his nominee for White House budget director, Russ Vought, later in the day, with Treasury Secretary nominee Scott Bessent scheduled for a hearing on Thursday.
Republicans have by and large indicated they will vote for Trump’s nominees — even boundary-pushing candidates like Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, who emerged from a Tuesday hearing largely unscathed despite allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking. His confirmation appeared likely after Republican Senator Joni Ernst said she would back him after initially voicing concerns.
Similar accusations prompted Trump’s first choice for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, to withdraw from consideration. Other nominees, such as health secretary pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr and national intelligence director nominee Tulsi Gabbard, face uncertain prospects as well. Confirmation hearings have not yet been set for the two former Democrats.
Those who faced senators on Wednesday appeared to be on a glide path to approval.
“I am confident you are the one we need to take on the threats we face,” Republican Senator Jim Risch told Rubio, a fellow Republican senator. Democrats likewise praised Rubio as a qualified candidate.
In a separate hearing, Democrats pressed attorney general nominee on whether she would resist pressure from Trump to use the Justice Department to pursue his political enemies, as he has vowed to do.
“I need to know you would tell President Trump ‘No’ if you are faced with a choice between your oath to the Constitution and your loyalty to Mr. Trump,” Democratic Senator Dick Durbin told her.
Bondi said she would maintain the department’s independence, but vowed to end the “partisan weaponization” of the U.S. justice system, echoing Trump’s assertion that the prosecutions he faced were politically motivated.
Democrats also questioned whether Ratcliffe would use intelligence for political ends as head of the CIA.
Republicans shrugged off those concerns, urging them instead to root out those who might oppose Trump’s agenda.
“Help us restore legitimacy to the Department of Justice,” Senator John Kennedy told Bondi, urging her to “find out who the bad guys are” and “get rid of them.”
During his first 2017-2021 White House term, Trump staffed his administration with officials and aides who frequently tried to blunt his most aggressive impulses. This time around, he is drawing on a pool of committed loyalists who share his goal of weakening the influence of nonpartisan civil servants and ensuring the 2.7-million-strong federal bureaucracy carries out his wishes.
Trump’s pick for White House budget director Vought would play a leading role in that effort if confirmed. He has backed proposals to dramatically downsize the government and allow the president to refuse to spend money that Congress has authorized. His confirmation hearing was due to start at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time (1800 GMT).
(Additional reporting by Andrew Goudsward, Simon Lewis, Doina Chacu, David Shepardson; Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)
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