Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Former Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Michael Steele criticized Republican lawmakers for what he sees as a “such a farce” in their handling of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees, accusing them of raising concerns but ultimately intending to confirm them anyway.Steele’s comments came during a Sunday episode of MSNBC’s The Weekend, which he is a co-host of, that featured journalist Jacqueline Alemany’s reporting on Trump’s health secretary and director of national intelligence picks, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard, respectively.Several of Trump’s Cabinet nominees have faced questions about their qualifications, allegations of sexual assault, and potential foreign allegiances.Trump’s most controversial pick was former Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, who he named for U.S. attorney general. Gaetz faced opposition from some Republicans before withdrawing his name from consideration. He was at the center of a House Ethics Committee probe into accusations that he was involved in recruiting women online for sex, including a 17-year-old girl. Gaetz has denied the allegations.Kennedy Jr. and Gabbard have also raised some concerns among lawmakers. Cabinet picks need to be confirmed by a majority of the Senate and will undergo a confirmation hearing process before assuming their respective posts, a topic The Weekend touched on.Regarding Gabbard, Alemany said, “Behind closed doors people like [Senator] Tom Cotton actually have been willing to offer their support, help guide her through the process and they’re going to work through some of these issues.”Steele, a Trump critic, interjected and asked: “How do you work through issues…with a nominee who has affinity for [former Syrian President Bashar al-] Assad and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, how do you work through that, Republicans?”Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman and Democratic presidential candidate in 2020 prior to leaving the party and becoming a Republican, has been criticized by some as being sympathetic towards Russia and potential threat to national security.In response to her nomination in November, she pledged “to defend the safety, security and freedom of the American people.”With regards to Steele’s comment pertaining to Bashar al-Assad, in 2017, Gabbard had a secret meeting with him, who is an ally of Russia. In 2019, she told MSNBC that she does not believe Assad is an enemy of the United States and has also described him as a “brutal dictator.” Last weekend, Assad was ousted by rebels and has since sought asylum in Russia.”This is gonna be such a farce! These people are so full of it, they are going to sit down, they are going to pontificate, and they going to bend over and kiss the behind on this process and that is how this will play out,” Steele said on Sunday.He added: “All of this drama right now, ‘I have concerns,’ is just crap because they don’t have the will to do the right thing on [Kash] Patel, Tulsi Gabbard or RFK Jr. or on anyone else who is ill-equipped and unfit to serve in these important positions.” Patel was tapped by Trump to serve as director of the FBI.Newsweek filed an online contact form with the RNC for comment on Sunday and reached out to Senator John Thune’s press team for comment. Thune will serve as the Senate majority leader in January. Newsweek also reached out to Trump’s press team for comment via email on Sunday.On the other hand, Senator Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican, who has been a vocal critic of Trump within the party, told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday morning on State of the Union, while Trump’s selection of nominees is “an unusual collection of individuals—not the people I would have chosen,” the president-elect won the election and is “entitled” to select whoever he sees as best fit.However, he added: “The Senate has a responsibility to make sure that these people are legitimate, that there’s no skeleton that could be an embarrassment to them or the country, and also to determine that they are qualified, and I expect them to carry out that responsibility with conscious and diligence.”
Former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele speaks at Pasadena Convention Center on July 29, 2017, in Pasadena, California. Steele criticized Republican lawmakers for what he sees as a “such a farce” in their handling…
Former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele speaks at Pasadena Convention Center on July 29, 2017, in Pasadena, California. Steele criticized Republican lawmakers for what he sees as a “such a farce” in their handling of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees, accusing them of raising concerns but ultimately intending to confirm them anyway.
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