Trump adviser threatens any GOP member who opposes cabinet picks

The incoming Trump administration is sending a message to any GOP member thinking about defying the president-elect.
In the weeks since defeating Vice President Kamala Harris for the White House, President-elect Donald Trump has announced a flurry of nominations for his cabinet and administration. His controversial picks have been met with widespread criticism, including from some skeptical GOP lawmakers.
Among his choices was former Rep. Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, who announced on Thursday that he would be withdrawing his name from consideration. He was heavily scrutinized in recent days over a House Ethics Committee report looking into accusations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. Gaetz resigned from the House last week, reportedly just days before the report may have been released.
But before Gaetz withdrew from the consideration, Trump reportedly warned Republican senators not to oppose him or other nominees, a Trump adviser told ABC’s Jonathan Karl.
“If you are on the wrong side of the vote, you’re buying yourself a primary. That is all. And there’s a guy named Elon Musk who is going to finance it,” the adviser told Karl. “The president gets to decide his cabinet, no one else.”
Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary are also names that could face an uphill battle in the Senate. Similar to Gaetz, these two nominees have been scrutinized for their lack of experience needed for those respective roles.
Many senators have expressed their intent to have a full confirmation process for Trump’s picks, including Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) who said he opposed recess appointments for Cabinet-level positions.
It is the Senate’s responsibility to vet and confirm Cabinet-level positions, but Trump has made it clear that he wants to bulldoze through typical Senate procedure. He has demanded that the Senate allow him to make recess appointments—a move that would bypass the standard confirmation process.
Even though some GOP senators have expressed concerns about Trump’s cabinet picks, it is unlikely that they will defy the president-elect.
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