Bypassing the standard procedure comes as president-elect’s choices of RFK Jr and Matt Gaetz send shock waves
Summary
Donald Trump’s transition team has bypassed standard FBI background checks for key cabinet nominees, relying instead on private investigators, as reported by CNN.
This breaks decades-old norms meant to vet candidates for criminal history and conflicts of interest.
Controversial appointees include Matt Gaetz (attorney general), Tulsi Gabbard (director of national intelligence), and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (health secretary), all facing scrutiny for past investigations, pro-Russian views, or personal admissions.
Critics argue Trump seeks to undermine traditional vetting, with potential security risks tied to bypassing these checks.
There are Republicans already encouraging the Senate to meet the 10-day recess necessary to allow Trump to circumvent the Senate with the Recess Appointments Clause. Which is Republicans using a rule in bad faith that was supposed to protect the process from the Senate using an excessive recess to prevent/delay a President from getting their picks vetted.