{"id":2369199,"date":"2024-11-14T22:52:02","date_gmt":"2024-11-15T03:52:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-leaning-on-impeachment-defenders-to-staff-his-cabinet-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-11-14T22:54:08","modified_gmt":"2024-11-15T03:54:08","slug":"trump-leaning-on-impeachment-defenders-to-staff-his-cabinet-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-leaning-on-impeachment-defenders-to-staff-his-cabinet-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump leaning on impeachment defenders to staff his Cabinet &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-leaning-on-impeachment-defenders-to-staff-his-cabinet-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2369199&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President-elect \u200cDonald Trump is leaning on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schumer-meets-shanghai-party-chief-in-bipartisan-senate-trip-to-china\/\" title=\"Schumer meets Shanghai party chief during Senate trip to China.\">key \u2062allies<\/a> from his 2019 impeachment trial to shape his Cabinet as he\u2063 prepares for his administration. He has nominated four former House Republicans\u2063 who defended him during that trial for significant roles in his government. \u2064 <\/p>\n<p>Elise Stefanik has \u200dbeen nominated as the\u2064 ambassador to\u2062 the \u200dUnited Nations, where she is recognized for her assertive \u2064questioning and advocacy. Lee Zeldin has \u2064been appointed to lead\u200b the Environmental Protection \u200bAgency, after gaining prominence for \u200chis vocal \u200cdefense of \u200bTrump during impeachment proceedings.\u200b John Ratcliffe is set \u2064to become the\u200c director of\u2063 the CIA, having served\u2062 previously as \u2063Trump\u2019s director of national intelligence and been an outspoken critic of the impeachment inquiry. Lastly, Doug \u200bCollins has been \u2063nominated to \u2063head the Department of Veterans Affairs, following his leadership as the top Republican on the House Judiciary \u2064Committee.<\/p>\n<p>All \u200cfour nominees are closely associated\u2063 with Trump\u2019s \u200cattempts to\u200c navigate and counter \u200cthe impeachment allegations against him,\u2063 which centered around accusations\u2064 of\u2064 improper pressure on Ukraine \u2064regarding the investigation of the Biden family. Their nominations \u200dhighlight Trump\u2019s \u200cstrategy of surrounding himself with \u2062loyal supporters as he\u2062 seeks to enact his vision for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-accuse-gop-of-stoking-culture-wars-with-bills-limiting-gas-stove-rules\/\" title=\"Dems claim GOP fuels culture wars with gas stove regulations.\">key federal agencies<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Trump leaning on impeachment defenders to staff his Cabinet<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1881023\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President-elect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump<\/a> is counting on a handful of loyal allies who leaped to his side during his 2019 impeachment trial to overhaul <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Washington, D.C.<\/a>&rsquo;s biggest federal bureaucracies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>He has nominated four House Republicans who were on his&nbsp;2019 impeachment <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schumer-on-impeachment-senate-will-conduct-a-timely-and-fair-trial\/\" title=\"Schumer on Impeachment: Senate will conduct a timely and fair trial\">defense team<\/a> to head critical agencies over the past week. Trump selected Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/elise-stefanik\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Elise Stefanik <\/a>(R-NY)&nbsp;to be the ambassador to the United Nations, former Rep. Lee Zeldin to oversee the Environmental Protection Agency, former Rep. John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA, and former Rep. Doug Collins to head the Department of Veterans Affairs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Here&rsquo;s a look into each of Trump&rsquo;s new nominees, tied together due to their common defense of the former president during one of his most vulnerable periods.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Elise Stefanik<\/h2>\n<p>The New York congresswoman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3225555\/stefanik-accepts-offer-ambassador-united-nations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">accepted<\/a> Trump&rsquo;s offer to lead the U.S. delegation to the U.N. on Monday. The powerful House Republican Conference chairwoman is perhaps best known for her role in pressuring Harvard President Claudine Gay to resign her post last summer.<\/p>\n<p>During a line of questioning at the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Committee hearing that went viral last year, Stefanik, who is a Harvard graduate herself, pressed Gay on allegations that antisemitism was being allowed to run rampant at the Ivy League school. She later took credit for&nbsp;Gay&rsquo;s subsequent resignation, saying &ldquo;I will always deliver results.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But the feisty New Yorker also has a history with Trump that dates back to his first impeachment trial in the lower chamber. The 2019 House impeachment surrounded a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2019\/09\/25\/trump-ukraine-phone-call-transcript-text-pdf-1510770\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">phone call<\/a> Trump made to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which House Democrats alleged pressured the Eastern European leader to investigate President Joe Biden and his family for corruption.&nbsp;The Senate cleared Trump of the charges in the spring of 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Stefanik served on Trump&rsquo;s ceremonial defense team throughout the trial, mounting spirited challenges to then Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who led the Democratic opposition to Trump on the House Intelligence Committee.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Day 3 of Adam Schiff&rsquo;s flimsy case for impeachment. This is the weakest case for impeachment of a President in our nation&rsquo;s history.<\/p>\n<p>The facts remain the same. The American people are tired of this charade. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3S6zd4ZHeI\">pic.twitter.com\/3S6zd4ZHeI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepStefanik\/status\/1220832544620535808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 24, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Her tough stance earned her glowing praise from Trump at the time, with him singling Stefanik out as a &ldquo;new Republican Star.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lee Zeldin<\/h2>\n<p>Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/energy-and-environment\/3226375\/trump-picks-former-congressman-lee-zeldin-head-epa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">tapped<\/a> Zeldin, another New York Republican, to head the EPA the same day he nominated Stefanik as U.N. ambassador.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Zeldin has made headlines for pushing the limits throughout his career, first as a lawyer, and then in the political world.&nbsp;When he was sworn into the New York State Bar at just 23 years old, Zeldin became the youngest attorney in the state. After he represented eastern Long Island in New York&rsquo;s 1st Congressional District from 2015 to 2023, Zeldin upset norms again during his gubernatorial bid in the state. During his 2022 campaign, which ultimately failed, Zeldin received more votes than any Republican statewide in over half a century.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But before he caught the country&rsquo;s eye during his bid to become New York governor, Zeldin gained prominence in the House for defending Trump during his first impeachment proceedings.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;For me, it&rsquo;s just about getting facts out there and getting the rest of the story out there. Adam Schiff isn&rsquo;t going to do that for my constituents,&rdquo; Zeldin told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/trump-impeachment-inquiry\/trump-s-defender-how-little-known-gop-lawmaker-became-point-n1076046\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">NBC News<\/a> during a November 2019 interview. &ldquo;And I have a lot of constituents who oppose this impeachment inquiry. Most of the calls my office receives are from people who are opposed to this impeachment inquiry. This isn&rsquo;t an issue, obviously, that&rsquo;s going to unite a country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Rep. Zeldin slams Democrats on impeachment: &ldquo;This entire thing is a political charade&rdquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rKy1vTMtEs\">https:\/\/t.co\/rKy1vTMtEs<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/DjyXs6BsQ8\">pic.twitter.com\/DjyXs6BsQ8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RNCResearch\/status\/1181593468956823553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 8, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>An analysis of the seven <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">impeachment deposition transcripts released<\/a> at the time showed that Zeldin spoke more than any other Republican, per the network.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>His defense caught Trump&rsquo;s attention. The former president promoted Zeldin <a href=\"http:\/\/www.trumptwitterarchive.com\/archive\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">nearly two dozen times<\/a> on X during the impeachment trial, whereas he had previously posted about the New York lawmaker only once on the platform.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">John Ratcliffe<\/h2>\n<p>Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3227941\/trump-taps-former-intelligence-chief-john-ratcliffe-cia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">nominated<\/a> former Ratcliffe as his nominee for CIA director on Tuesday. The ex-Texas lawmaker had previously served as Trump&lsquo;s director of national intelligence from 2020 to 2021.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Rep. Ratcliffe: &#8220;Schiff should be disqualified&rdquo; from running impeachment inquiry<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/j7L2rGCpwR\">https:\/\/t.co\/j7L2rGCpwR<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FuDd1IHQ1F\">pic.twitter.com\/FuDd1IHQ1F<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RNCResearch\/status\/1180206398925352960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 4, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Ratcliffe was at the forefront of attention as the first public impeachment trial commenced in November 2019. Questioning the credibility of the top two witnesses, William B. Taylor, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, and George Kent, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, Ratcliffe asked, &ldquo;Where is the impeachable offense in that call?&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Are either of you here today to assert there was an impeachable offense in that call? Shout it out,&rdquo; he told Taylor. &ldquo;Anyone?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Ratcliffe also fought back after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) suggested Trump had tried bribing Ukrainian officials in an effort to make them investigate the Biden family.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Pointing to 3,500 pages of transcripts from impeachment inquiry interviews, Ratcliffe claimed that the word &ldquo;bribery&rdquo; only appeared once.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is the thinnest, fastest, and weakest impeachment our country has ever seen,&rdquo; the Texas Republican lamented after the House ended up voting to impeach Trump over the phone call he had with Zelensky.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Doug Collins<\/h2>\n<p>Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/3230931\/what-to-know-about-trump-va-nominee-doug-collins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">nominated<\/a> the four-term former congressman from Texas to head the VA on Thursday evening.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Just a few months after he assumed the top Republican position on the House Judiciary Committee in January 2019, Collins emerged as a powerful defender of Trump during his first impeachment the same year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Rep. Collins: Democrats&rsquo; sham impeachment built on lies, smears, &amp; political expediency<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/5UvaF2jZ0d\">https:\/\/t.co\/5UvaF2jZ0d<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QyNJDBzsKk\">pic.twitter.com\/QyNJDBzsKk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RNCResearch\/status\/1204927466013364224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 12, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>Collins claimed the &ldquo;sham&rdquo; impeachment was based on &ldquo;lies&rdquo; at the time, becoming the face of Trump&rsquo;s defense team in the lower chamber.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>He notably slammed the Biden White House after it declined to allow critical witnesses to testify during impeachment hearings.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Saying Trump had &ldquo;done nothing wrong,&rdquo; Collins argued that House Democrats were pushing the impeachment inquiry not because they wanted to hold anyone accountable but &ldquo;to make sure that he is damaged going into an election cycle.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s about next year&rsquo;s election for them,&rdquo; he complained.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1881023\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1881023\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump relies on impeachment allies for Cabinet positions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2369200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Trump-DC.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4955,3636,3634,32076],"class_list":["post-2369199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-cabinet","tag-impeachment","tag-trump","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Trump-DC.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2369199"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2369203,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369199\/revisions\/2369203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2369200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2369199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2369199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2369199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}