Haley skewers Trump picks Gabbard, RFK Jr.

The withdrawal of former Florida Republican Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial pick for attorney general amid opposition from Senate Republicans, marks the first major setback for Trump as he fills his cabinet, but so do other high-profile candidates. it seems to be in front pushback mounting from his party members.

In a recent episode of his SiriusXM radio show, Trump’s former ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, Tulsi Gabbard, the president-elect’s pick for director of national intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy’s pick for secretary of health and human services. Jr. — blasting both candidates for their foreign policy ideologies.

Speaking about Gabbard, Haley said she had “big problems” with his proposal and reiterated Gabbard’s past comments, which she said go against the views of the US intelligence community, including blaming NATO for the invasion of Ukraine and her decision. to meet with Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in 2017.

“He has defended Russia, he has defended Syria, he has defended Iran, and he has defended himself China“, Haley said. “DNI needs to look at real threats. Are we comfortable with someone like that at the top of our national intelligence agencies?”

In presenting her argument, Haley also highlighted several times Gabbard — a former Democratic congresswoman who ran for the party’s presidential nomination in 2020 before becoming a Republican — has clashed directly with the candidate.

“He was opposed to ending the Iran nuclear deal. He was opposed to sanctions against Iran. He was opposed to the designation of the Iranian military as a terrorist who says death to America every day,” Haley said. “He said Donald Trump turned the US into a prostitute for Saudi Arabia. This is going to be our future head of national intelligence.”

Haley also referenced it Gabbard’s In a 2020 interview, he said the Trump administration had “no justification whatsoever” for authorizing the strike that killed Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, which Gabbard described at the time as “an illegal and unconstitutional act of war.”

“Trump tried to limit his war powers against Iran. He tried to cut our annual defense budget to punish Iran and hinder their influence,” Haley said.

Speaking about Kennedy, Haley said he is “not a sane” but a “liberal Democrat” who spent his time in Washington advocating progressive policies while also criticizing his views on US rivals.

“He said he would consider admitting Russia to NATO,” Haley said, adding that Kennedy believed Moscow should be admitted to the alliance after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Haley also criticized Kennedy’s support for thawing relations with China, which she said could have adverse effects on American health care.

“During the time of COVID, 90% of our medicines came from China and we talked about how dependent we are. He wants the tensions to go away,” he said.

Haley was Trump’s main challenger for the GOP presidential nomination, but he conceded after dropping out of the race in March.

After winning the White House, the president-elect publicly announced that he would not invite Haley back to serve in his second administration. But Haley, outwardly at least, has maintained a cordial relationship with Trump and has brushed him off, insisting he made it clear he had “no interest in being in his cabinet.”

Sources told ABC News that Gaetz walked away from what had been a futile confirmation battle on Thursday after it became clear to Trump’s team that the former Florida lawmaker, facing sex-trafficking and drug-taking allegations, had “no way out.” Getting 50 votes in the Republican-led Senate.

While neither Gabbard nor Kennedy appear to face similar long-term risks in the chamber, both have been lambasted by Republicans in recent days.

Former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh blasted both candidates in an interview Sunday.

“These people have no business running these departments,” he said. “This is like a vendetta against Dr. Fauci as far as RFK Jr. goes, but Tulsi Gabbard, the best you can say about her is that she’s a Putin cheerleader. That’s the best you can say.”

Gabbard has also drawn the ire of the “Wall Street Journal’s” right-wing editorial board, saying that in her long political career she has not indicated that she is the right person to lead the intelligence community.

The Trump-friendly New York Post lashed out at Gabbard and Kennedy, calling the former congresswoman a “terrible” pick and saying it’s “hard to see” how Kennedy can lead the Department of Health and Human Services to “practical solutions.”

During the confirmation process, Republicans are expected to press Kennedy, who switched his party affiliation from Democrat to independent in 2023, on a range of views, including his criticism of vaccines and his history in support of abortion rights.

But another controversial candidate, Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News anchor Trump has chosen to run the Pentagon, appears to be gaining support from the GOP.

Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma said Hegseth would be a “perfect” defense secretary.

Hegseth has been accused of sexual assault in 2017, and new details about the allegation emerged on Wednesday when a police report on the incident was made public. He has denied all wrongdoing and was never charged with a crime.

After Hegseth met with Republicans on Capitol Hill, several Republicans appeared ready to face the charges against him.

“Since no charges have been filed by the authorities, we only have press reports,” said Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the Republican on the Armed Services Committee.