Republicans were on the defensive on Sunday over two of Donald Trump’s most controversial Cabinet picks.
The speaker of the house, Mike Johnson (R-La.), said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the investigation into Trump’s choice for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, by the House Ethics Committee should not be made public. Gaetz is a staunch Trump supporter.
The Justice Department looked into Gaetz’s claims of sex trafficking. Even though he wasn’t charged, the House Ethics Committee is still looking into the claim that he assaulted a 17-year-old.
Pete Hegseth is Trump’s choice for Secretary of Defense. His lawyer told several news outlets that Hegseth paid a woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017 because he was afraid he would lose his job at Fox News.
Hegseth has denied the sexual assault claim and has never been charged. However, the woman was paid as part of a settlement agreement that included a promise to keep the money secret after she threatened to sue him in 2020, according to the lawyer.
Trump didn’t add anyone to his staff on Sunday, but on Saturday, the president-elect did name his choices for secretary of energy and a top White House aide.
Will Scharf, Trump’s personal lawyer, was a key part of his defense in the federal criminal case related to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
He was also named staff secretary for the White House and assistant to the president. Trump has named four personal lawyers to the new administration. Scharf is the fourth one.
Chris Wright to be nominated as Secretary of Energy
During his second term in the White House, Trump said on Saturday that he plans to put forward Chris Wright, CEO of Liberty Energy and a 2024 campaign donor who works in the oil industry, to lead the Department of Energy.
The department is in charge of the country’s energy supplies, 17 national laboratories, research and development of nuclear power, and the cleanup of nuclear work done during the Cold War.
In his statement, Trump also said that Wright would be a part of his new Council of National Energy. The president-elect said that Interior Secretary nominee Doug Burgum would lead the council.
In a video posted on LinkedIn in 2023, Wright disagreed with scientists who say that greenhouse gas emissions from humans are warming the planet.
“There is no climate crisis and we’re not in the middle of an energy transition either,” Wright said. Wright’s company does hydraulic fracking, which is a way to get oil and natural gas from deep below the Earth’s surface.
Trump’s announcement suggests that he plans to put Wright forward for approval by the Senate. However, Trump has asked the Republican leadership in the Senate to allow recess appointments as a way to get around the confirmation process.
Trump’s picks so far: What we know
Here are Trump’s picks for key positions in his administration, as of Sunday night.
- Chief of Staff: Trump named his senior campaign adviser Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff, the first woman in history to hold the title. The Florida political consultant largely stays out of the spotlight, but has been credited with helping Trump’s political comeback.
- Attorney General: Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida has been nominated as the next Attorney General overseeing the Justice Department, that he has long criticized.
- Secretary of State: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is nominated as the next Secretary of State. He will bring foreign policy experience through his roles in the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. A Cuban-American, he is set to be the first Latino person to be Secretary of State.
- Director of National Intelligence: Former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is nominated as the director of national intelligence. The former Democratic presidential candidate-turned Republican represented Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District from 2013-2021.
- Ambassador to the United Nations: Trump nominated Elise Stefanik , a five-term Republican representing a northern New York district, as his pick for UN ambassador. She is the House Republican Conference Chair and a former contender for Trump’s running mate.
- Secretary of Health and Human Services: Trump has named Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. The 2024 independent candidate has previously criticized vaccines and questioned the origin of the COVID-19 virus. He is arguably best known for spreading unfounded claims about a link between childhood vaccines and autism.
- Secretary of Defense: Trump nominated Fox News host Pete Hegseth to Defense secretary. A Fox News commentator, Hegseth served in the U.S. Army National Guard and had led veteran’s advocacy groups.
- Environmental Protection Agency Administrator: Trump has appointed Lee Zeldin as the administrator of The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Zeldin was a Congressman for parts of Long Island, New York and ran but lost against Kathy Hochul in the 2022 gubernatorial race.
- Director of the Central Intelligence Agency : Trump designated his former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe as CIA director. Ratcliffe previously was a House member from Texas before serving as director of national intelligence at the end of Trump’s first presidency.
- Secretary of Homeland Security: Trump announced his choice of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to be the Secretary of Homeland Security. The pick puts the hardline conservative governor, who sent the state’s National Guard to the southern border, in a key role on immigration.
- Secretary of Interior : Trump has nominated Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to be his secretary of Interior coordinating federal policy to several territories. Burgum previously ran to be Republican presidential nominee before dropping out in December and has long been vocal about fossil fuels and energy issues.
- Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs: Trump has nominated former Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Collins to be his secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. He served as a congressman representing Georgia’s 9th district from 2013 to 2021. A trusted Trump loyalist, he is a chaplain of the United States Air Force Reserve Command and served in the Iraq War in 2008.
- Secretary of the Department of Energy: Trump is nominating oil industry executive Chris Wright , CEO of Liberty Energy and 2024 campaign donor to lead the Department of Energy. Wright, who has expressed skepticism about climate change science, would join a Trump administration that campaigned to roll back climate change policies and clean energy spending ushered in during President Biden’s term.
- Deputy chief of staff for policy : Long-standing Trump adviser Stephen Millerhas been tapped for deputy chief of staff for policy in Trump’s next administration. The 39-year-old served as senior adviser to Trump and director of speechwriting during the Republican’s first term in the White House and is credited with shaping Trump’s immigration policies.
- ‘Border czar’ : Trump has appointed Tom Homanto oversee deportation policy and aviation security. Homan was a Border Patrol agent for 34 years and served in Trump’s first administration as acting ICE director. He drew controversy for strict immigration enforcement, including the “zero-tolerance” policy which separated families of undocumented immigrants.
- National security adviser: Trump has named Florida Rep. Mike Waltzas his national security adviser. Waltz has held civilian positions at the Pentagon, was on the House Armed Services Committee and has supported Trump’s isolationist view of foreign relations.
- U.S. ambassador to Israel: Trump announced he is nominating former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabeeas his U.S. ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a Baptist minister and former Fox News host, who has run for the Republican presidential nomination twice, unsuccessfully. His daughter is Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as White House press secretary during Trump’s first presidency.
- White House Counsel: Trump tapped William McGinley to serve as his White House counsel. McGinley, a partner at the Washington-based law firm Holtzman Vogel, worked as White House Cabinet secretary during Trump’s first presidency.
- U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York: Trump has nominated Jay Claytonas the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Clayton has previously served as chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term.
- Deputy attorney general: Trump has decided lawyer Todd Blanchewill serve as deputy attorney general. Blanche is known for aggressively representing the president-elect in his New York hush money trial and in two federal criminal cases.
- White House Communications Director: Trump named Steven Cheungto be his communications director in his second term. Cheung worked as the rapid response director for Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and was perhaps the most adversarial of the candidate’s spokespersons, describing opponents and “snowflakes” and “cucks” who suffered from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
- White House Press Secretary: Trump named Karoline Leavittas his second-term White House press secretary. She’s expected to be the youngest to ever hold the position.
What are the Cabinet positions?
The Cabinet gives the president advice on matters that affect their own jobs.
These are the Cabinet jobs from the 15 executive departments that need to be approved by the Senate:
The Cabinet advises the president on issues related to their respective offices.
These are the Cabinet positions from the 15 executive departments, which must be confirmed by the Senate:
- Secretary of State
- Secretary of Defense
- Attorney General
- Secretary of the Interior
- Secretary of Agriculture
- Secretary of Commerce
- Secretary of Labor
- Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Secretary of Transportation
- Secretary of Energy
- Secretary of Education
- Secretary of Veterans Affairs
- Secretary of Homeland Security
- Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- Secretary of Treasury
There may also be the vice president, the chief of staff, the ambassador to the UN, the director of National Intelligence, the U.S. trade representative, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The head of the Office of Management and Budget, the head of the Council of Economic Advisors, the head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the head of the Small Business Administration in the Cabinet and advice to the president.
Contributing: Zac Anderson, Darren Samuelsohn, Karen Weintraub, Alyssa Goldberg, Tom Vanden Brook, David Jackson, Savannah Kuchar, Victor Hagan, Bart Jansen, Fernando Cervantes Jr., Riley Beggin, Michael Collins , Joey Garrison; Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer .
