{"id":2369683,"date":"2024-11-16T07:11:02","date_gmt":"2024-11-16T12:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/andy-kim-says-senate-needs-to-fully-vet-trumps-cabinet-picks-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-11-16T07:11:58","modified_gmt":"2024-11-16T12:11:58","slug":"andy-kim-says-senate-needs-to-fully-vet-trumps-cabinet-picks-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/andy-kim-says-senate-needs-to-fully-vet-trumps-cabinet-picks-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Andy Kim says Senate needs to fully vet Trump\u2019s Cabinet picks &#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\">28<\/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%2Fandy-kim-says-senate-needs-to-fully-vet-trumps-cabinet-picks-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=2369683&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>Senator-elect Andy Kim, a Democrat from New Jersey, is advocating for a thorough vetting process of President-elect Donald Trump&#8217;s Cabinet nominations, many of which have sparked \u200dcontroversy. Kim emphasized the importance of fully evaluating these appointments rather than rushing through them via recess appointments, a method suggested by Trump. As he prepares \u200dto \u2063take \u2062over the Senate seat formerly held by Bob Menendez, Kim has\u200b a notable background in\u200d foreign policy and military advisory roles.<\/p>\n<p>He expressed particular concern about the nomination of Pete Hegseth for\u2062 Secretary of Defense, \u2064citing Hegseth&#8217;s previous remarks against women serving in combat roles as alarming. \u2062This discussion came as Kim began to assess Trump&#8217;s \u2064broader\u200c Cabinet choices, which include former representatives Tulsi Gabbard, Matt Gaetz, and Robert F.\u200b Kennedy Jr. for various high-profile positions.<\/p>\n<p>Kim&#8217;s election marks a significant achievement for the Democratic party, making him the first Korean American senator and the youngest member of the Senate, all while navigating a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ftc-expands-its-power-to-penalize-powerful-companies\/\" title=\"FTC Expands Its Power to Penalize Powerful Companies\">shifting political landscape<\/a> in New Jersey. He noted a decline in \u2064the Democratic vote\u200c margin compared to previous elections, indicating a potential shift in voter sentiment. Kim is determined to dig deeper into the qualifications and backgrounds of\u200c Trump&#8217;s \u200cnominees to ensure effective governance.  <\/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\">Andy Kim says Senate needs to &lsquo;run the process&rsquo; and fully vet Trump&rsquo;s Cabinet picks<\/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_1882226\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Sen.-elect&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/andy-kim\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Andy Kim (D-NJ)<\/a>&nbsp;wants a&nbsp;full vetting of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a>&rsquo;s Cabinet picks following a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3229222\/trump-cabinet-picks-shockwaves-washington-reckless\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">series of controversial nominations<\/a>&nbsp;and calls from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harris-heads-to-honduras-for-inauguration-of-incoming-president-with-anti-semitic-ties\/\" title=\"Harris Heads To Honduras For Inauguration Of Incoming President With Anti-Semitic Ties\">president-elect&#038;nbsp<\/a>;to sidestep the Senate with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3230811\/trumps-demand-recess-appointments-faces-headwinds-controversial-cabinet-picks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recess appointments<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;This will be my first time around having a chance to be able to vote on these appointments. So, you know, I&rsquo;m going to take that seriously, do my due diligence,&rdquo; Kim told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> at the Capitol.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They also need to make sure that they run the process and don&rsquo;t just try to jam things through in a recess appointment,&rdquo; he explained.<\/p>\n<p>Kim will be replacing ex-<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bob-menendez\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Sen. Bob Menendez<\/a> in the upper chamber following his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3095972\/bob-menendez-to-resign-following-guilty-verdict\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">felony conviction<\/a> in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/corruption\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">corruption<\/a> case. The New Jersey Democrat, who previously served in the House for three terms, has already had a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">prominent foreign policy career<\/a>. He served as the National Security Council&rsquo;s director for Iraq during President Barack Obama&rsquo;s administration. In Afghanistan, Kim worked as a strategic adviser to Gen. David Petraeus and Gen. John Allen.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The 42-year-old incoming senator said he was &ldquo;alarmed&rdquo; by the announcement of Fox News host <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Pete Hegseth<\/a> to serve as his secretary of defense, noting Hegseth&rsquo;s appearance last week on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DoN5ovwB8s4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><em>The Shawn Ryan Show<\/em> podcast<\/a> in which he said that female soldiers should not be allowed to fight on the front lines.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, welcomes incoming Democrat senators in his office Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Washington, from right, Sen.-elect Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich, Sen.-elect Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., Sen.-elect Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif,  Schumer, Sen.-elect Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Sen.-elect Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Sen.-elect Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J. AP Photo\/Mariam Zuhaib)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;I have to say I&rsquo;m alarmed by the idea that a Secretary of Defense nominee would say things like, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-senator-infuriated-by-pete-hegseths-take-on-women-in-combat-roles\/\" title=\"Dem Senator Infuriated by Pete Hegseth&#039;s Take on &#039;Women in Combat&#039; Roles\">women shouldn&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t be in combat,&rdquo; Kim said. &ldquo;As someone who&rsquo;s worked at the Pentagon, that&rsquo;s not something I would ever imagine hearing a Secretary of Defense say.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/live-blog\/2024-election-campaign-live-updates-harris-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2024 ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS ON THE TRUMP-HARRIS PRESIDENTIAL RACE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At the time of the conversation on Wednesday, Kim said he had not seen the news that former Hawaii Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tulsi-gabbard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Tulsi Gabbard<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/3229131\/tulsi-gabbard-trump-appointed-director-national-intelligence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">had been nominated<\/a> to serve as the director of national intelligence. It was also ahead of Trump&rsquo;s decision to tap former Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/matt-gaetz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Matt Gaetz<\/a> as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3229178\/trump-nominates-matt-gaetz-as-attorney-general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">attorney general<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rfk-jr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a> to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, reports surfaced that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/3231227\/pete-hegseth-sexual-assault-investigation-trump-team-vetting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Hegseth was investigated\">Hegseth was investigated<\/a> but not charged in a sexual assault case less than a decade ago, raising questions about the Trump transition team&rsquo;s vetting process. Trump&rsquo;s transition team&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3231288\/trump-transition-team-bypassing-fbi-background-checks-cabinet-picks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">has chosen to bypass the usual process<\/a>&nbsp;of using the FBI to conduct background checks on at least some of his Cabinet picks, instead opting to use private companies, according to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/11\/15\/politics\/security-clearances-fbi-gabbard-gaetz\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CNN<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m still trying to get my head around all of this,&rdquo; Kim said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to have to hear more about these roles and these positions.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Kim&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3206702\/andy-kim-wins-new-jersey-senate-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">victory<\/a> was a bright spot for Democrats, making him the Senate&rsquo;s first Korean American and the chamber&rsquo;s fourth youngest member. However, the incoming senator acknowledged a shift in a right-ward state where Democrats control every branch of government and outnumber Republicans by 900,000 voters. Four years ago, New Jersey voters <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/new-jersey-decision-notes-president-senate-menendez-87429ca9f49e68008cede0a98b0053b4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">rejected<\/a> Trump&rsquo;s reelection bid by a 16-point margin. This time around, Vice President Kamala Harris&rsquo;s margin of victory narrowed to only about five points.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think that there&rsquo;s going to be a lot of questions about what comes next, and I have to say, at least, you know, our cohort of six of us that won, you know, a lot of us have consistently outperformed the top of the ticket in multiple races,&rdquo; Kim said of fellow incoming Democratic senators. &ldquo;A lot of the people here wouldn&rsquo;t be here if they didn&rsquo;t outperform.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Kim said there are listening sessions underway to reflect on last week&rsquo;s bruising electoral defeats in which Republicans flipped four seats giving them a 53-seat majority in the Senate.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re having conversations amongst ourselves, and we want to sit down at some point and really try to dive into detail of what we think needs to happen next,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;None of us have all the answers, but we certainly have some ideas.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Democrat said he is hopeful that lawmakers will be able to work across the aisle and get work accomplished despite being in the minority.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had a conversation with Republican Sen. Katie Britt, with both of us young parents worried about mental health challenges that young people are facing right now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think just in general, a lot of understanding about what comes next on foreign policy and other issues.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As someone who has been a career diplomat and worked in national security, I hope that people can recognize that there are things we do need to get done. We can&rsquo;t just continue this kind of nonstop election season type of mentality.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><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_1882226\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1882226\"}});<\/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>Andy Kim emphasizes the Senate must thoroughly vet Trump&#8217;s Cabinet nominees<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2369684,"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\/Andy-Kim-November-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[45126,44629,3740,3634,32076],"class_list":["post-2369683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-andy-kim","tag-cabinet-picks","tag-senate","tag-trump","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Andy-Kim-November-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369683","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\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2369683"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2369687,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369683\/revisions\/2369687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2369684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2369683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2369683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2369683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}