Former Ambassador to the United Nations and 2024 GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticized President-elect Donald Trump’s resolution to present high-profile posts in his administration to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, each candidates whose potential nominations have obtained some pushback about their backgrounds.
On Kennedy’s choice to steer the Well being and Human Companies Division, Haley criticized his lack of knowledge in well being care and his earlier get together affiliation as a Democrat.
“Who’s RFK Jr? He is not a well being man, he has raised questions on what’s in our meals, and I’m proper there with him,” Haley mentioned. She added, nevertheless, “That is not his background. He’s not educated, skilled or practiced in healthcare in any respect.” She additionally referred to as him a “liberal Democrat,” a number of occasions.
Kennedy has a protracted document of criticizing vaccines, although he not too long ago claimed he isn’t anti-vaccine. However public well being consultants have objected to his lengthy document of deceptive statements questioning vaccine security and fear he may upend many years’ price of hard-fought wins in enhancing vaccination charges in opposition to lethal illnesses.
Haley, who challenged Trump within the GOP primaries and later endorsed him, additionally criticized Gabbard, a former congresswoman who represented Hawaii and Trump’s decide to be director of nationwide intelligence, for her “disgusting” previous statements on human rights violations in Syria, which Haley says echo Russian propaganda.
“It is a job for an trustworthy dealer with none pronounced coverage biases,” Haley mentioned. “She went to Syria in 2017 for a photo-op with [Syrian President Bashir] al-Assad whereas he was massacring his personal individuals … this to me was disgusting.” Haley added, “All the things she mentioned about that was Russian speaking factors, Russian propaganda.”
Gabbard defended her 2017 assembly with Assad on the time as a “fact-finding mission,” though later she described him a “brutal dictator.” In 2019, she additionally expressed opposition to U.S. involvement in Syria’s civil conflict and mentioned Assad “isn’t the enemy of the USA as a result of Syria doesn’t pose a direct menace to the USA.” The Trump transition staff didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Gabbard doesn’t have expertise within the subject of intelligence and opposes the USA’ intervention within the conflict in Ukraine.
The Senate is predicted to offer recommendation and consent throughout the affirmation course of as soon as Trump formalizes their nominations. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who Trump deliberate to appoint to be legal professional basic, withdrew his title from consideration Thursday amid a Home Ethics Committee investigation into sexual misconduct and unlawful drug use allegations in opposition to him.
