What to know about the Senate hearings
- Pam Bondi, Donald Trump's attorney general pick, appeared in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee for the first of two days of confirmation hearings. Bondi, previously the attorney general of Florida, is a longtime ally of the president-elect who aided his defense during his first impeachment.
- Democrats grilled Bondi on whether she would be independent from Trump and Bondi repeatedly refused to say whether Biden legitimately won the election. Many Democrats also expressed concerns about Trump's FBI pick, Kash Patel, who has a history of promoting conspiracy theories about the "deep state."
- Republicans used much of their time to attack the Justice Department's Trump investigations as well as their Democratic colleagues for pressing Bondi on matters related to Trump.
- Several other Trump picks also had hearings today: Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. (secretary of state); former National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe (for CIA director); Russell Vought (Office of Management and Budget director); former Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., (transportation secretary); and oil executive Chris Wright (energy secretary).
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What to know about Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick for attorney general
Trump picked former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the Justice Department. NBC News campaign embed Alex Tabet takes a look at Bondi’s career and how she might function in the Trump administration.
Trump’s pick for CIA chief pledges not to let politics skew intelligence findings
President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the CIA promised senators Wednesday he would not impose political litmus tests on the agency’s workforce or force employees to place loyalty to Trump over the country.
Trump has repeatedly portrayed the CIA and other spy agencies as corrupt institutions carrying out a political agenda. But John Ratcliffe, the former Texas congressman chosen by Trump to lead the spy service, spoke in respectful terms about its work at his Senate confirmation hearing and vowed he would not purge employees because of perceived political beliefs.
Former Presidents Obama, Clinton and Bush will not attend inaugural lunch
Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will not attend the traditional inauguration lunch, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Obama will not attend any inaugural events besides Trump's swearing-in, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were invited, but they do not plan to attend the luncheon, according to a source close to the Clintons.
Both Clintons attended the luncheon in 2017, at which Trump encouraged a standing ovation for his election opponent.
“I was very honored, very, very honored when I heard that President Bill Clinton and Secretary Hillary Clinton was coming today," Trump said at the time.
Bush's office confirmed that he, too, would not attend the luncheon. The office said that it was not tracking an invitation.
Sen. Patty Murray says RFK Jr. confirmation would be 'dangerous'
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said in a statement that she met with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding his nomination to be secretary of Health and Human Services, noting that she "appreciated the opportunity to share my deep concerns about his long history of anti-vaccine activism."
Murray serves on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP), having previously chaired the committee. In her statement, she reiterated her staunch opposition to Kennedy's nomination.
"There is simply no reason whatsoever to believe that if finally given the levers of power to wreck access to vaccines and public confidence in them, he will abandon a cause he has championed," she said. "It takes no imagination to see how dangerous it would be to confirm RFK Jr. as Health Secretary, and it takes mountains of willful ignorance to ignore it."
7 takeaways from a jam-packed day of confirmation hearings for Trump’s nominees
Six of President-elect Donald Trump’s big-office nominees faced Senate confirmation hearings today, previewing a parade of policy and political fights that will define his second term.
The picks — Pam Bondi for attorney general; Marco Rubio for secretary of state; Sean Duffy for transportation secretary; John Ratcliffe for CIA director; Chris Wright for energy secretary; and Russell Vought for director of the White House Office of Management and Budget — largely avoided the kind of fireworks that can sink confirmation chances.
Grassley praises Bondi as 'outstanding' after hearing
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, praised Bondi following today's hearing, telling reporters she gave "an outstanding performance."
"I think she answered every question appropriately. She had some of the toughest questions you could have. And I think she’s going to be a darn good attorney general, and I think she’s going to change the culture of the department," the senator added.
It was clear during the hearing that Bondi has widespread support from Republicans on the panel, but Grassley wasn't sure whether she'd receive any votes from Democrats.
“There’s no way I could predict that, and I haven’t been told by anybody that they would [vote for her]," Grassley said.
Obama to skip most Inauguration Day events, source says
A source familiar with the matter tells NBC News that on Inauguration Day, former President Barack Obama does not intend to attend the luncheon or any events beyond Trump's initial swearing-in ceremony. NBC News reported yesterday that former first lady Michelle Obama would not intend the inauguration.
Trump called Hegseth hearing a '10 out of 10' in phone call with Defense pick
Trump called Pete Hegseth following his Senate confirmation hearing yesterday and told his Defense pick that it was a “10 out of 10,” two sources familiar with the call told NBC News.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was also on the call and offered his congratulations, the sources said. NBC News is out to the Trump transition and DeSantis’ office for comment.
Trump's picks for Interior, HUD and Treasury to testify tomorrow
Senators will be back on Capitol Hill for a third day of confirmation hearings tomorrow.
Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will testify before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee as Trump's pick to be the next Interior secretary.
Former Rep. Lee Zeldin will also testify in front of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee as he seeks to be the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Eric Scott Turner will face the Senate Banking Committee as Trump's pick to be the next Housing and Urban Development Secretary, while Scott Bessent, Trump's pick to be the next Treasury secretary, will face the Senate Finance Committee.
Senators on the Judiciary Committee will reconvene tomorrow for the second day of Pam Bondi’s hearing as she seeks to become the next attorney general.
Vought hearing wraps up, ending all Senate confirmation hearings for the day
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has wrapped up its confirmation hearing of Russell Vought, Trump's pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget.