An impasse over FBI background checks for Trump’s Cabinet nominees will likely be resolved “in the next few days,” a top Republican told reporters Monday.
“I do think there will be FBI background checks,” said Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the ranking GOP member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The comments came amid fears the incoming Trump administration plans to bypass the customary step for top appointees, raising concerns about its vetting of candidates. The potential departure from protocol has sparked a debate about the necessity of reviewing the background of people who would hold high-level positions, with Democrats calling it a prerequisite.
Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has urged Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, who will lead the Republican majority next year, to insist on thoroughly vetting Trump’s picks. Schumer said in a letter that Democrats are committed to a confirmation process that includes “reviewing standard FBI background-investigation materials.”
“In our system of checks and balances, the Senate plays a vital role in ensuring the President appoints well-qualified public officials that will dutifully serve the American people and honor their oaths to the Constitution,” Schumer wrote. “Regardless of party, the Senate has upheld this sacred duty for generations and we should not and must not waver in our Constitutional duty.”
Wicker will lead the panel considering the nomination of Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for Defense secretary, who has faced allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse. Hegseth was on Capitol Hill again Monday to meet with Republican senators to shore up his nomination.
In Hegseth’s case, the decision is needed soon if Trump wants his Defense secretary confirmed on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20. But the question has overshadowed the confirmation process for Cabinet picks overall and raised questions about whether the Senate could do its own investigations.
“I think the issue of who does the background check is about to be resolved in conversations between leadership on both sides of the aisle and the transition team,” Wicker said. “So wait for the next day or two.”
Wicker declined to say directly whether the absence of an FBI background check is disqualifying for Hegseth, but said his “preference” is that it happen.
“My preference is that we honor the precedent that has been in place since the Eisenhower administration, and be informed by the agency that does background checks,” he said.