This article has been updated to include Sen. John Cornyn's (R-TX) full quote involving the "train wreck" of Senate confirmation hearings this week.
This week, Senate confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks will kick off, with Pete Hegseth, the nominee to serve as Secretary of Defense, going first on Tuesday. While there was once chatter that Hegseth wouldn't make it to getting confirmed, and Trump would need to find a replacement, his chances have increased. There are still plenty more picks from there to come this week and in future weeks. Given the vilifying of Trump by the media, one outlet was all too happy to capitalize on concerns from one senator that the hearings would be a "train wreck."
Early on Monday morning, NBC News published a piece titled "Senate braces for 'train wreck' as hearings kick off for Trump Cabinet picks." Of course, the Senate's role is to advise and consent, so senators are really just "brac[ing]" to do their jobs.
The comments come from Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who is considered an establishment Republican and a RINO by many. As the report quoted him as saying:
The selections coming before the Senate range from those who are expected to have smooth paths to confirmation, like Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for secretary of state, to others who face headwinds and need the hearings to garner support, such as former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, a military veteran, for defense secretary.
“We’re going to have a little bit of a train wreck next week of confirmation hearings,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters last week. “But I’m glad we’re getting those done, and the FBI background check would naturally be a part of that process.”
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Cornyn said he “enthusiastically” supports Rubio, his fellow Republican senator, and predicted that he wouldn’t have a hostile hearing.
“I think that will be the closest hearing that’s a lovefest of any of the confirmation hearings,” Cornyn said. “I can’t say that about the other ones.”
Others face strong opposition from Democrats, who are warning Republicans not to rush through confirmations of candidates before their FBI background checks clear and the Senate takes the appropriate time to vet them. Democrats will seek to pressure GOP senators to sink some of the nominees.
The report also conveniently leaves out the full quote from Cornyn highlighting just how busy he is as a member of multiple committees, with those committees all having hearings on Wednesday. "I'll be involved in the confirmation process with Tulsi Gabbard on the Intelligence Committee, on both Kash Patel and Pam Bondi on the Judiciary Committee--looks like we're going to have a little bit of a train wreck next week of confirmation hearings, but I'm glad we're getting those done," Cornyn's quote read in full.
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The headline caught the eye of Cygnal's Brent Buchanan in his daily takes for Monday, who quipped, "Talk about a biased headline," as he linked to the coverage.
"The media would never write this headline about Biden or Obama cabinet nominees, many of who had views as far to the left of center as Trump's do to the right. If this was written by an alt-left outlet, it'd be understandable, but it's 'mainstream' media that's supposed to just report the news and let people decide. No wonder trust in media is so low," he stated.
Last October, Gallup put out its findings on how "Americans' Trust in Media Remains at Trend Low," with just 31 percent saying they have a "great deal" or "fair amount" of confidence in the media to report the news "fully, accurately and fairly." The year before that it was at 32 percent, highlighted for matching the record low from 2016.
The fodder about a "train wreck" is just too easy for the media when it comes to Republicans in disarray. There's mention of how Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) enjoys wide support when it comes to likely being confirmed as secretary of state. The piece also, however, in a predictable fashion, goes after Hegseth by mentioning the concerns about him, though there's also mention of former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), who is now a Republican, and her chances of being confirmed as director of national intelligence (DNI). Of course, the media has already predictably gone after them.
As the piece goes on to mention, with a lack of added context, especially in Hegseth's case:
Hegseth has been battling allegations of sexual assault, excessive drinking and mismanaging the finances of a nonprofit veterans group.
Several Republicans were initially noncommittal about supporting Hegseth, including Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a survivor of sexual assault and a member of the Armed Services Committee, the panel that will examine his nomination. While she hasn’t said whether she plans to vote for him, Ernst has since released a statement saying she will “support Pete through this process” and looks forward to “a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.”
Ernst, who is up for re-election in 2026, has faced pressure from Trump allies to back him.
The top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed, of Rhode Island, also remained concerned about Hegseth’s ability to lead the Defense Department after the two met last week. Reed and the chair of the committee, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., received Hegseth’s FBI background check late Friday.
Along with Hegseth, several other Trump picks have faced bipartisan skepticism from senators, including Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii who is now a Republican, to be the director of national intelligence, and former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health secretary. Hearings for Gabbard and Kennedy haven’t been scheduled yet.
The accusations involving sexual assault involve murky details from the alleged victim. It's also worth reminding that Hegseth paying her a settlement is not an admission of guilt. That point about "excessive drinking" also links to an NBC News exclusive, from anonymous sources, claiming concerns. Meanwhile, current and former Fox News employees were vocal and publicly took to social media to strongly rebut such concerns.
When it comes to the pressure that Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) has faced to back Hegseth, lest she be primaried for 2026, our own columnist Kurt Schlichter has been instrumental in issuing such directives, when it comes to Ernst and other Republicans.
Further, going back to Buchanan's point, to say that Biden's nominees "had views as far to the left of center as Trump's do to the right" is to put it rather politely. Many were very much not qualified and picked more so over equity than actual relevant experience. Health & Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra never had medical experience, instead having previously served as attorney general of California and a congressman. But at least he's heralded as being the first Latino to hold the role. He's also just as rabidly pro-abortion as the rest of the Biden-Harris administration and was ironically co-chair of Catholics for Biden.
Despite the lack of qualifications, no Democrat voted against Biden's Cabinet nominees.
Fortunately, given that Republicans also control the Senate as a result of last November's elections, Trump has some wiggle room for his picks, even with Vice President-elect JD Vance having resigned late last week in his position as U.S. Senator for Ohio.
There are those like Rubio and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who has been nominated to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, who can look to enjoy bipartisan support. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) is one name to watch. He's already communicated his support for Rubio and Stefanik and was the first Democrat to meet with Hegseth. He's also been invited to and accepted Trump's invitation to Mar-a-Lago, with a CBS News report mentioning that there's hope Fetterman would be willing to confirm some Cabinet picks.
