GOP senators seek 'normal process' to confirm Trump nominees, torn over FBI background checks
As Republicans senators returned to Washington after Thanksgiving recess to a renewed peppering of questions about President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks, a familiar refrain emerged: trust the confirmation process.
"That's why we're going to take the normal process, vet all the nominees, and give everybody a chance to ask those questions during a hearing," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said when asked about new allegations concerning Pete Hegseth, Trump's choice for defense secretary.
"That is why our process is so important," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said when asked about the controversial reports surrounding Hegseth.
"The president is allowed to have his appointees who we will have to see," Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said when asked about Kash Patel, Trump's nominee to lead the FBI. "I don't know Kash Patel, we have to have him go through the process."
"Like all the other nominees, he'll get a process and a confirmation hearing and vetting and everything else. They'll all have to through it, and we'll see where the process takes us," incoming Senate Republican Leader John Thune said about Patel.
The responses fell short of glowing endorsements for some of Trump's nominees. And even as many Republicans call for regular processes to be followed as these nominations are considered, there remains at least one discrepancy on what a normal order process would look like.
Senators torn over FBI background checks
The Trump transition team on Tuesday entered a memorandum of understanding with the Justice Department that allows it to submit names for FBI background checks, Trump's Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said, but the memo does not indicate that it will.
ABC News has reached out to the transition team to see if it intends to submit all Cabinet nominees for background checks.
Though vetting of nominations has traditionally included an FBI background check, Republican senators are torn on whether one is 100% necessary for confirmation.
Thune told ABC News the issue over background checks will hopefully be "resolved." While noting that there are "other alternatives" for getting information, Thune said that FBI background checks are "historically" the best way.
"I think, hopefully at some point they'll get this background check issue resolved. At this point I'm not sure exactly how it's going to be resolved but I think they will. I think the administration understands there's got to be a thorough vetting of all of these noms," Thune said. "And that, you know, historically, the best place to get that done has been through the FBI. They have other alternatives, you know, obviously, I assume our committee chairman will just want to make sure that they've got the background that they need to carefully evaluate these noms."
Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee that will be responsible for managing Hegseth's nomination, told ABC News the panel is "looking at the way its been done traditionally and getting information about that as to who actually orders the FBI background check."
But when pushed on whether he would want to see an FBI background check, he said he would.
"I would prefer a full background check, yes," Wicker said.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said he believes there will be background checks and he'd like to see them.
"My preference would be an FBI background check, and I'm not, I don't know that we won't have FBI background checks. I know that we have really good staffs and really good investigators, and they work closely with the FBI, so I'm not worried at all about -- about not having background checks done on -- not just these nominees, but any nominees by a president. I think that’s a false issue," Kennedy said.
Some senators kept their cards close on this issue.
Cornyn ignored questions on whether he'd want to see a FBI background check for nominees like Patel.
But others are prepared to follow Trump's lead.
"My position is what President Trump decides to do is what I will support," Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said.
Lawmakers react to Kash Patel's nomination
No Republican senator flatly rejected Patel as Trump's choice to lead the Department of Justice, though many said they'll wait for Patel to move through the Senate Judiciary Committee before making a decision on him.
But ultimately, for Patel to be installed, current FBI Director Chris Wray would need to be fired or step down.
There appears to be a general sense among Republicans that they would be okay with Wray being forced out.
"I am, I am," Capito said when asked if she would be comfortable with Trump removing Wray to install Patel.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said she likes Patel, and added that the FBI needs someone new to "go in and clean it up."
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said it is reasonable for Trump to want to put in place someone he is comfortable with after his experiences during his first administration and in the years that followed.
"Think about what this guy has gone through, he's had his house raided, he's been indicted, so I think he's probably in a position that you know, and then think about it in his first term, he had a special prosecutor, so I think he probably wants somebody that he knows is going to be loyal," Scott said.
