House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “America deserves better” than President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks.
Host Kristen Welker said, “I want to ask you now about that report that the House Ethics committee was set to vote on to release into former Congressman Matt Gaetz, of course, President-elect Trump’s pick to be the next attorney general. Speaker Johnson is now saying that the report should not be released. What’s your reaction to what Speaker Johnson is saying?”
Jeffries said, “Of course, it should be released. And that’s not just Democrats saying that. You have repeatedly seen Senate Republicans make clear who are on the Senate Judiciary Committee, or throughout that chamber, say that they want access to all available information so they can make a decision about whether the nominee for attorney general is qualified to serve in that office. The Senate has a clear responsibility to serve as a Senate and coequal branch of government and a check and balance. That’s as America as baseball, motherhood and apple pie.”
He added, “Here’s what I have to say about several of the nominations that have been made by the incoming president, including the one that Debbie Wasserman Schultz was referring to. The incoming president, throughout the campaign, promised the American people that we would have the best economy, the best border security, and the best administration possible. The question that has to be asked is this the best that we can do? In the context of some of these nominations, is this the very best that America has to offer for a moment like this, with so many challenges that we confront? Of course not. America deserves better. Hopefully, we’ll see the Senate Republicans do their job, scrutinize these picks, certainly confirm those that meet the basic level of qualifications and reject others.”
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