Democrats and Never Trump conservatives were hoping that Senate Republicans would reject President Donald Trump's more controversial nominees, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, FBI Director Kash Patel, and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard were all confirmed despite not receiving any Democratic votes. Although countless medical professionals have attacked Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s anti-vaxxer views as dangerous to public health, Senate Republicans confirmed him as director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Only a few Senate Republicans — namely, Maine's Susan Collins and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski — have been willing to join Democrats in rejecting any of Trump's nominees.
In a biting article published by the conservative website The Bulwark, "Senate Republicans Perfect the Art of Appeasement," on February 26, journalist John Avlon (best known for his work with CNN and, before that, the Daily Beast) argues that Senate Republicans are failing badly when it comes to their role in the United States' system of checks and balances.
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"Senators have voted to advance individuals like Pete Hegseth, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, and Kash Patel — people who are, by any objective standard, not only experientially unqualified for the positions to which they had been nominated, but repeatedly advanced beliefs that are contrary to fact, science, and America's national interest," Avlon laments. "No matter. Senators who expressed rational concerns early on folded at the critical moment. I have been told by a member of the U.S. Senate that any Republicans who suggested they might vote against Donald Trump's nominees were threatened with a primary, paid for by Elon Musk."
Avlon continues, "That's not the worst of it. According to Vanity Fair's Gabriel Sherman, Sen. Thom Tillis told colleagues of 'credible death threats' reported by the FBI when he was considering a vote against Pete Hegseth. The threats appeared to have their effect: Tillis voted 'yes,' and Hegseth was confirmed, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote."
Avlon emphasizes that when GOP senators are willing to confirm nominees they consider woefully unqualified, that "submission to threats" is very bad for "American democracy."
"This is not consistent with the American tradition," Avlon warns, "but it's a pattern that history recognizes all too well. It is the advancement of an agenda through fear. It is the appeal to greed. It is the belief that might makes right."
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Avlon continues, "It never ends well, but in the short run, the logic is self-serving. Don't speak out. Don't stand up. Don't apply your principles consistently. Just go along with the party, and you'll keep your job. This is a dereliction of duty by a Senate required under the Constitution to give advice and consent before a president’s Cabinet nominations can be sworn in. It is evidence of cowardice by people in power."
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John Avlon's full article for The Bulwark is available at this link.