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The Briefing with Jen Psaki

Incoming: Trump Cabinet Picks Dogged by Accusations and Controversy

The Briefing with Jen Psaki

NBC News

News, Politics

4.5664 Ratings

🗓️ 17 November 2024

⏱️ 42 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Jen Psaki breaks down Donald Trump's choice of partial loyalists to fill his cabinet and how their lack of experience could impact our everyday lives. Senator-Elect Elissa Slotkin joins Jen to discuss the concerns about Trump's nominees, and the issues in their background that might reveal their true character. Next, Jen is joined by Andrew Weissmann to discuss the importance of transparency in the confirmation process in light of Speaker Mike Johnson's push to suppress a House Ethics Committee report on alleged sexual misconduct by Matt Gaetz, Trump's pick to lead the DOJ. Later, Jen is joined by former CIA Director John Brennan to discuss Trump's nomination of former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to be the Director of National Intelligence and why her questionable pro-Russian comments raise serious concerns for national security. Former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius also joins Jen to react to Trump's nomination of anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services, outlining the danger he poses to our country's health system. Finally, Jen offers democrats a reminder not to fall prey to right-wing propaganda, following the GOP's amplification of bad-faith attacks on the transgender community amid the election.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Okay, so Donald Trump has revealed his picks for key cabinet roles, and even some members of his own party are shocked.

0:07.8

But today, we're going to try and take you beyond the middle surrounding all of them and talk about what it would actually mean for these people to fill these jobs.

0:16.2

Senator Elect, Alyssa Slacken, has actually worked in a range of national security roles.

0:20.1

She's going to have a vote on these nominations, and she's coming up first.

0:23.6

Then we're just going to go one by one.

0:25.6

We'll talk about Matt Gates for Attorney General with former DOJ official Andrew Weissman.

0:29.6

We'll talk about Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence with former CIA Director John Brennan.

0:34.6

And we'll talk about RFK Jr. for HHS secretary with former HHS

0:39.4

Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

0:45.1

Okay. So before you became Joe Biden's press secretary four years ago, I oversaw the confirmations team for the Biden-Harris transition.

0:56.9

So let me just give you a sense of how this process is actually supposed to work.

1:02.3

Potential nominees, even before the president makes a final decision, he may have people in his mind, but even before he makes a final decision, go through a rigorous vetting process that tears

1:11.2

through every aspect of their lives and their finances.

1:14.6

It is grueling and anyone who's been through will tell you it's very invasive.

1:18.3

Sometimes things that wouldn't even be a blip in a normal hiring process blow up the nomination

1:22.5

before it even begins.

1:24.6

Sometimes those things seem small, like taking weed gummies to sleep better or paying some

1:28.4

taxes late. Sometimes they seem bigger, like when some client that some nominee once worked with

1:33.5

has business before the government. But there is a reason the process is so grueling under

1:39.0

Democrats and Republicans. It's because you want people who don't have conflicts of interest,

1:43.4

who won't become a distraction

1:44.9

because of controversy, representing the public interest and advising the president.

...

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