Monday on CNN’s “The Lead,” Weekly Standard founding editor Bill Kristol said Senate Democrats will likely be able to “take down” a couple of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees because Trump has not vetted them.
Partial transcript as follows:
KRISTOL: I think you could, but I think the Democrats have a pretty big interest in fighting Trump at this point. I really don’t buy the argument that they have much interest in cooperating. I think they think they can take down a couple of nominees and I think they might. Every president loses one basically. Either on a vote like John Tower in the first Bush administration, or has to be withdrawn like Daschle. One forgets this. And it’s always a surprise—Tom Daschle, not confirmed to HHS, former Senate majority leader. John Tower, former senator, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Something always happens. and Trump has not vetted — this is the one thing. Trump — I have heard accounts from people who have been interviewed and people close to people who have been interviewed. It’s kinda cute and nice in a way. All the formality goes out the window. The notion of giving all your stuff to the lawyer, you come in, you meet with Mr. Trump there for 45 minutes. ‘Hey, I think you’re the guy.’…So no one has gone through, honestly. Several of these people are very wealthy. They have complicated business dealings. Stuff can can happen. Tom Daschle is not a terrible —
SCIUTTO: Complicated business dealings? What?
KRISTOL: That’s the thing. They all think and Trump thinks he got away with it so they can. But guess what, Trump didn’t have to be confirmed by the Senate. If you get 48 or even 45 Democratic hanging tough it just takes a few Republicans to take down a nominee.
SCIUTTO: Tom Daschle’s—his was nanny taxes, right? So It could be something with the vetting as opposed to a stand on, I don’t know, protecting the working classes, that kind of thing.
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.