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A scheduled start for confirmation hearings saw the Senate leader address embattled nominees Pete Hegseth and Kash Patel and the lack of “clarity” on advancing one of them.

(Video Credit: CBS News)

As the 119th Congress got underway and the 2024 presidential election was set to be certified Monday during a joint session of Congress, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) was pressed on how quickly President-elect Donald Trump’s administration would be able to get to work.

Namely, CBS News’s Margaret Brennan wondered at the confirmation hearings for the president-elect’s nominees as the lawmaker suggested Hegseth looked to have a clear path to Defense Secretary. At the same time, he stated that Patel’s future was less certain as director of the FBI.

“I suspect a lot of them will get through. And — and we’ll see about all of them. Remains to be seen. But I think that’s why we have the process, adhere to that process, and give all of these nominees an opportunity to make their case,” Thune expressed as Brennan noted that a 53-seat majority for the GOP meant dissenting Republicans would be the ones responsible for obstructing the president-elect’s picks.

“You’ve said you have to see if Democrats play ball or not. But you don’t need Democrats to get these through,” said the host as she asked. “So, does that mean you already know some of your Republican senators won’t vote to confirm Kash Patel at the FBI or Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon?”

“We don’t have, at this point, I don’t think, clarity on that. I think these are nominees who are new enough, they’ve been going around and conducting their meetings, which I think, frankly, have gone very well. But they still have to make their case in front of the committee. And, you know, we don’t know all the information about some of these nominees,” remarked the senator. “I think we know a lot about them. But they deserve a fair process.”

CBS News reported that, despite the concerted effort to drag up past allegations of sexual misconduct and claims of leadership failings, Thune conveyed privately to Trump that Hegesth would have the necessary votes for confirmation.

“Two things we don’t discuss publicly,” a spokesperson for the congressman stated to the outlet, “Whip counts and private conversations with the president.”

Meanwhile, as Hegseth’s confirmation hearing was scheduled for Jan. 14, Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R) posted a slew of other nominees that would see their chance in the proverbial hot seat during the week leading up to Trump’s inauguration.

Namely, the lawmaker rattled off a list that would start the process that included: former Florida Attorney Pam Bondi for attorney general; former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence; Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services; South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem for secretary of Homeland Security; Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state; New York Rep. Elise Stefanik for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Hegseth; Patel; “And MANY more!”

Like a number of nominations, opposition to Patel included concerns from leftists that, as director of the FBI, he would follow through on the promises Trump had made to win the election, including putting a stop to the alleged weaponization of the agency and holding any who may have been responsible for such wrongdoing accountable.

When asked by Brennan if he would encourage FBI background checks on all the nominees, Thune responded, “Well, sure. I mean, I think that you want to have as much background as possible and that is available to the committees as they make their decisions.”

Kevin Haggerty
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