Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.
In today’s edition, we examine how some of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks are softening their previous stances as they seek to win over skeptical senators. Plus, lawmakers in Washington are demanding answers about recent unexplained drone sightings.
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Trump Cabinet picks soften past statements amid Senate scrutiny
By Matt Dixon, Julie Tsirkin and Henry J. Gomez
Some of President-elect Donald Trump’s most vulnerable Cabinet picks are racing to smooth out or overwrite past statements before contentious Senate confirmation fights next year.
It’s a political concern that isn’t shared by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the duo of influential Trump allies who have been given wide-ranging power to recommend major federal spending cuts.
The contrast illustrates a key split defining Trump world as it prepares to take over the federal government. The incoming president is preparing to stock key administration posts with high-profile conservative media stars who have ably used that ecosystem to bolster their right-wing policy proposals.
But facing the political pressure of getting confirmed by the Senate, some of those Cabinet picks are now having to moderate. Meanwhile, others in non-Senate confirmable positions can continue mostly unbothered by any prospect that their seats at the table could get yanked away.
“A lot of these guys have been loud mouthpieces and have been on record on news, and serving as talking heads,” one Republican strategist said. “They are going to say a lot of things. Sometimes hyperbole, and sometimes saying things to push their own agenda or advocate for someone else. When confirmation time comes, you have to answer for that.”
Some examples: Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick to serve as the nation’s top intelligence official, struck a drastically different tone on Syria in the wake of the fall of the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad. Gabbard, a Democrat-turned-Republican and military veteran, has faced criticism over her past support for Assad, including making an unsanctioned trip to meet with him in 2017 that has come under renewed scrutiny.
With Trump saying the U.S should avoid involvement in Syria, Gabbard told reporters Tuesday as she met with senators: “I stand in full support and wholeheartedly agree with the statement President Trump has made over the last few days with regards to the developments in Syria.”
Meanwhile, Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for defense secretary, seems to be softening on his previous stance that women should not serve in combat roles, a position that came under scrutiny after Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, expressed skepticism about his selection. Ernst became the first female combat veteran to serve in the Senate when she took office in 2015.
On Monday, after her second meeting with him Ernst issued a statement that Hegseth “committed” to “selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and values of our servicemen and women.” Later that night on Fox News, Hegseth signaled that he was backtracking on his initial position, praising female troops.
Lawmakers want answers about mysterious drone sightings
By Scott Wong, Kate Santaliz, Frank Thorp V and Ali Vitali
House and Senate lawmakers are demanding that top federal law enforcement officials immediately brief them about mysterious drone sightings in New Jersey and New York, as the White House downplayed any potential threats to national security or the public.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Thursday he expects to receive a classified briefing about the drones soon, saying it’s “a quandary” and he’s “anxious to find out” more.
On Thursday afternoon, John Kirby, the White House spokesman on national security matters, told reporters that Homeland Security, the FBI and state and local law enforcement “have not been able to corroborate any of the reported visual sightings” of the drones.
Upon reviewing images of the sightings, law enforcement officials have concluded that “these are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully” and that there have been no confirmed drone sightings in restricted airspace, Kirby said, adding that they have uncovered no malicious activity.
“We have no evidence at this time that these reported sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus,” a White House National Security Council official told NBC News when asked about the drones.
But lawmakers say that they — and the public — need more information after weeks of sightings in New Jersey and other states.
New Jersey Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim and New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, all Democrats, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Federal Aviation Administration head Michael Whitaker on Thursday demanding a briefing on the drones or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
“The potential safety and security risks posed by these drones in civilian areas is especially pertinent considering recent drone incursions at sensitive military sites in and outside of the continental United States over the past year. Protecting civilian infrastructure, safety, and privacy as well as military assets and personnel will require a comprehensive response from Congress and the executive branch,” the four senators wrote.
“For this reason, we request that the briefing you provide also include any authorities, tools, or staff your agencies may require to address these ongoing incidents and the broader security challenge posed by UAS,” they continued.
🗞️ Today’s top stories
- ☑️ End-of-term checklist: President Joe Biden will commute the sentences of almost 1,500 offenders and pardon 39 others, in what the White House said was the largest number of commutations and clemencies granted in a single day. Read more →
- ⚖️ Collision course: The House passed a bipartisan bill backed by the federal judiciary that would create dozens of new judgeships despite Biden’s pledge to veto it. Read more →
- 🏆 Awards season: Trump said in an interview with Time magazine, which named him person of the year for 2024, that it would be “very hard” to bring down grocery prices after campaigning on doing so. He also didn’t rule out the possibility of a war against Iran during his second term, saying “anything can happen.”
- 🗓️ Save the date : Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to his inauguration in January, though it’s unclear if he plans to attend. And a Republican former House member and three current members of Congress from Utah invited a Jan. 6 defendant.
- 👀 Speaking of Jan. 6: The FBI failed to take the “basic step” of canvassing its field offices for intelligence ahead of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a long-awaited Justice Department’s inspector general report. Read more →
- 📺 Transition watch: Trump announced he wants Kari Lake, the former Arizona gubernatorial and Senate candidate who was also a local news anchor, to be the next director of the Voice of America, a federal network that’s part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. Read more →
- 🧂 Getting SALT-y: Dividing lines are already emerging among congressional Republicans over extending Trump’s tax law next year, with those representing high-tax states demanding an increase to the federal deduction for state and local taxes, also known as “SALT.” Read more →
- 🔵 Post-election blues: The four candidates running to be the next chair of the Democratic National Committee said the party should do a postmortem to learn lessons from the 2024 election. Read more →
- 🚫 In the states: The Montana Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling that temporarily blocked a state law prohibiting transition-related health care for minors. Read more →
That’s all from the Politics Desk for now. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at [email protected]
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2024-12-12 22:10:18
