Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Thursday he intends to confirm President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees, as he has in previous election cycles, “regardless of party or personal feelings.”
The statement comes amid a flurry of nominations from Trump following his decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris last week. Some of Trump’s choices have been greeted cautiously by lawmakers, and questions have been raised about whether some of the more controversial nominees will be able to make it through a Senate confirmation hearing.
In a message to X, Graham, who represents South Carolina, wrote that “[w]When it comes to the prerogative of presidents to appoint their cabinets and federal judges, the best indication of what I will do in the future is what I have done in the past.
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“I have strived to be consistent over time and respected that elections have consequences,” Graham continued. “My role as a United States senator is different from that of president. Winning an election allows the president to choose his cabinet, appoint leaders, and appoint federal judges to lifetime seats.”
“As a general matter, I vote for confirmation regardless of party or personal feelings, because that is my constitutional role as a senator,” the senator added. “I will do the same for President Trump’s nominees.”
Graham’s comments come after many Republicans expressed doubt that the Senate would confirm Trump’s attorney general pick, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, in January.
News week contacted the Trump transition team via email for comment on Gaetz’s nomination.
Trump has named several eyebrow-raising appointees, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services, former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence and Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Defense Sectarian.
Graham noted in his Thursday statement that each cabinet nominee “will be expected to do well during the confirmation process by answering tough questions and having their actions scrutinized.”
“This process should be the same for every candidate,” he added. “In the past, Democrats have sometimes abused the confirmation process. If I believe this happens again, I will speak out loud and clear.”
It is unclear what occasions Graham was referring to in his statement. In 2017, Senate Democrats blocked dozens of Trump’s nominees for federal positions.
Trump has asked Republicans, who took control of the Senate last week, to allow him to make nominations while the chamber is in recess, which would essentially bypass a Senate confirmation hearing for each nominee.
Newly elected Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, promised to quickly confirm Trump’s Cabinet picks “so they can implement his agenda.”
“It remains to be seen how this will happen,” Thune added when speaking to reporters on Wednesday.
