Top Republicans said Monday that all of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees should go through a customary FBI background check even as the Trump transition team seeks to bypass that process.
Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he hopes the impasse gets worked out, adding that an FBI background check is the “best” way to thoroughly vet any nominee.
“At this point, I’m not sure exactly how it’s going to be resolved,” Thune told reporters. “But I think the [transition] understands there’s got to be a thorough vetting of all these [nominees]. Historically, the best place to get that done has been through the FBI.”
The incoming GOP committee chairs, Thune added, “will want to make sure that they’ve got the background they need to carefully evaluate these nominees.”
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who will chair the Armed Services Committee next year, said he believes the impasse “is about to be resolved,” perhaps within the next day or so, but he didn’t elaborate.
Wicker said his “preference is that we honor the precedent that has been in place since the Eisenhower administration” regarding the FBI vetting of nominees. Wicker’s panel will process Pete Hegseth’s nomination to serve as defense secretary. Hegseth faces allegations of sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse.
The Trump team’s posture on this issue is a nod to the president-elect’s long-held skepticism of the FBI and its ability to conduct a fair background check. But Senate Republicans are making clear that this shouldn’t obviate what is a routine step for high-level nominations.
