Summary
Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) dismissed the necessity of FBI background checks for Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees, claiming the public prioritizes implementing Trump’s policies over vetting appointees.
On ABC’s This Week, Hagerty criticized Biden officials and supported Trump’s expedited transition process, despite reports that many nominees, including Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard, have bypassed FBI checks.
Moderator Jonathan Karl expressed concern over abandoning standard vetting practices, but Hagerty argued the FBI is “weaponized” and insisted checks would be completed quickly, though no evidence supports his claims of agency bias.
I had a top secret clearance in my old job. The whole process usually takes less than 9 months and anything outside a year usually means there’s something fishy with your background. It boggles my mind that members of Congress aren’t required to have security clearances and waiving background checks is completely insane. They’re clearly hiding a lot of nefarious and dodgy crap that would otherwise disqualify them from office