Notably, Gabbard questioned the US intelligence community’s assessments that Assad was behind a deadly chlorine gas attack the same year she met with the Syrian strongman, to which Trump said at the time: “There can be no dispute that Syria used banned chemical weapons.”

GOP insiders view Trump’s nominee for intelligence director as far more vulnerable than his choice for Pentagon chief.

Three days ahead of Trump’s return to the White House, many of his most prominent Cabinet choices have sailed relatively unscathed through their hearings and are poised to win confirmation as Republican senators rallied around them and appeared largely unwilling to defy Trump’s wishes.

‘I know what I don’t know,’ SecDef pick says at confirmation hearing. Pete Hegseth conceded that he lacks the experience of previous defense secretaries but said what he has is enough.

Democrats say Hegseth’s lack of experience, his past comments about women and Black troops and allegations of excessive drinking, and sexual misconduct, make him unfit to serve.

Democrats’ hopes of defeating any of President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees appear to be fizzling as Senate committees prepare for the first week of hearings. Senate Democrats have

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, during a closed-door lunch last week, told Democrats to hold nominees “feet to the fire” and hold them accountable for delivering on Trump’s sweeping campaign promises to lower prices and improve life for the working class and families.

The confirmation process for Trump's Cabinet nominees kicked off Tuesday with a hearing for Pete Hegseth, the nominee for Defense secretary.

Confirmation hearings for President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees will keep senators busy this week, with over a dozen on the schedule so far. Among the first up is Pete Hegseth, the former

Sixteen women. Twelve TV and news media personalities. Ten immigrants. A former NFL football player. These are among the first 100 people who President-elect Donald Trump has named to various positions for his upcoming administration.

Trump-hater John Bolton trashed Democrats over their "pathetic" opposition to Trump's nominees in an interview with CNN anchor Kasie Hunt.