RFK Jr avoids supporting Covid vaccines and abortion capsule; Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard additionally grilled by senators – US politics stay | Trump administration

Tim Scott, the Republican senator from South Carolina, mentioned that he and Robert F Kennedy Jr had some “critical conversations in regards to the significance of life”.

“You assured me that your deputies had been going to be professional life. Is that also the case?” Scott requested Kennedy. Kennedy replied:

I’ll implement President Trump’s insurance policies. I serve at his pleasure, however I share President Trump’s [belief] that each abortion is a tragedy.

Pressed on whether or not he’ll rent deputies inside his Division of Well being and Human Companies who might be pro-life, Kennedy mentioned: “I’m.”

Tulsi Gabbard is avoiding answering a query on whether or not or not Edward Snowden needs to be thought-about a traitor to america.

“Is Edward Snowden a traitor: sure or no?” she is requested by successive senators.

Edward Snowden broke the regulation. He launched details about america. If I may end my thought, senator … On this function that I’ve been nominated for, confirmed as director of nationwide intelligence, I might be accountable for defending our nation’s secrets and techniques, and I’ve extra speedy steps that I might take to stop one other Snowden.

That has not glad senator Michael Bennet from Colorado, a Democrat. “That is when the rubber hits the street,” he mentioned.

This isn’t a second for social media. It’s not a second to propagate conspiracy theories … That is when it is advisable to reply questions of the folks whose votes you’re asking for.

He continues:

Clearly we didn’t choose this nominee. However can’t we do higher than any individual who doesn’t consider in [Fisa law] 702? Can we consider that any individual who can’t reply whether or not Snowden was a traitor 5 instances at present, who made excuses for Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine? The primary time that I’m conscious of any American official has completed that, I’m questioning her judgment. That’s the problem that’s at stake right here.

Hugo Lowell

Kash Patel, the nominee to be the FBI director, evades a hypothetical from Senator Chris Coons about whether or not he would open an investigation right into a political opponent if requested by Donald Trump, or would cease a professional investigation right into a Trump ally.

Patel says he’ll merely obey the regulation.

The questions contact on points that got here up throughout Trump’s first time period: when the president requested then FBI director Jim Comey to finish the investigation into his nationwide safety adviser. Comey declined – and was later fired by Trump.

However Patel additionally instructed Coons that the FBI wouldn’t have interaction in retribution in opposition to Trump’s political opponents, backpedaling from his previous claims that even former FBI director Chris Wray needs to be prosecuted partially for his function in permitting the prison investigation of Trump for his mishandling of labeled paperwork. Patel mentioned the FBI ‘is not going to go backwards”.

Hugo Lowell

Kash Patel, the nominee to be the FBI director, makes an attempt to distance himself from verbatim quotes being learn again at him by Senator Amy Klobuchar that don’t painting Patel as a nonpartisan official.

Klobuchar ticks by means of numerous remarks he has made on quite a few podcasts, together with that he would shut down the FBI headquarters and switch it right into a museum of the so-called “deep state’.

Patel mentioned her quotations had been a “grotesque” mischaracterization, and at different instances claimed to not bear in mind the remarks being learn again to him.

“I’m quoting his personal phrases,” Klobuchar mentioned.

Patel says the FBI works for the justice division, and provides that the justice division stories to the White Home.

Democratic senator Chris Coons notes that Trump’s lawyer normal nominee, Pam Bondi, gave a special response in her listening to: that the justice division stories to the structure and the American folks. It’s a notable distinction.

David Smith

Sporting a darkish blue swimsuit, white shirt and crimson tie, Donald Trump entered the White Home briefing room at 11.21am, accompanied by his defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, and the transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, each new to their jobs.

“I’d prefer to request a second of silence for the victims and their households, please,” Trump mentioned.

After the pause, and in softer, graver tones than traditional, he resumed: “I communicate to you this morning in an hour of anguish for our nation.”

Trump offered an outline of the incident, noting: “Sadly, there aren’t any survivors.” He described it as “a tragedy of horrible proportions” that has “actually shaken lots of people”.

The president added: “We’re all heartbroken, we’re all trying to find solutions. That icy, icy Potomac … chilly water.”

Trump mentioned “now we have very sturdy opinions and concepts” about how the accident occurred then reverted to taking political swipes at Barack Obama and Joe Biden over air site visitors controller requirements. “The phrase “gifted”. You must be naturally gifted geniuses.”

In a harsher tone than earlier than, he then complained about range and inclusion in FAA applications and described former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg as a “catastrophe” who has a “good line in bullshit”.

Hugo Lowell

Kash Patel, the nominee to be the FBI director, is indignant at Democrats elevating the listing of deep-state actors that he thought-about to be Donald Trump’s political opponents.

Democrats have referred to the listing, which seems as an appendix in his e-book Authorities Gangsters, as an enemies listing.

“It’s not an enemies listing,” Patel mentioned. “It’s a complete mischaracterization.”

However the listing does successfully title anybody and everybody who Patel has seen as disloyal to Trump’s agenda.

It contains folks just like the FBI brokers who led the Russia investigation, and former lawyer generals, FBI administrators and CIA administrators – however solely these Trump has personally clashed with and has mused at numerous instances about wanting to research.

Donald Trump is delivering remarks from the White Home briefing room on final night time’s midair collision at Reagan Nationwide airport close to Washington DC.

“The work has now shifted to a restoration mission. Sadly, there aren’t any survivors,” Trump mentioned.

This was a darkish and excruciating night time in our nation’s capital and in our nation’s historical past, and a tragedy of horrible proportions.

He mentioned authorities have “some fairly good concepts” about what led to the crash.

Robert F Kennedy Jr was pressed to reply whether or not he would maintain the abortion capsule mifepristone available on the market.

Tammy Baldwin, a Democratic senator from Wisconsin, famous that greater than 100 peer-reviewed research for the treatment have confirmed that 99% of sufferers who took the capsule had no issues.

Kennedy refused to decide to preserving mifepristone available on the market and out there to ladies, and mentioned he wouldn’t get forward of Donald Trump on the problem.

“President Trump has not chosen a coverage,” Kennedy mentioned. “I’ll implement his coverage.”

Andrew Roth

Tulsi Gabbard has mentioned that if she is nominated she received’t advocate for a pardon for Edward Snowden.

In response to a query by Senator Susan Collins, Gabbard mentioned:

If confirmed because the director of nationwide intelligence, my duty could be to make sure the safety of our nation’s secrets and techniques, and wouldn’t take actions to advocate for any actions associated to Snowden. So the reply isn’t any.

”I might work to guarantee that we don’t have any disclosures or vigilantes taking it upon themselves [to disclose intelligence],” she continued, pointing to “authorized routes” for whistleblowers to boost complaints.

She additionally denied stories within the New York Instances that she had met with a senior member of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon, calling it an “absurd accusation”.

Bernie Sanders, the impartial senator of Vermont, requested Robert F Kennedy Jr if he agreed that Covid-19 vaccines had been profitable in saving thousands and thousands of lives.

Kennedy refused to be pinned down, saying there isn’t any good surveillance system.

“In case you present me science that exhibits that,” Kennedy mentioned. Sanders replied:

You’re making use of for the job – clearly you need to know this. And the scientific neighborhood has established that Covid vaccines saved thousands and thousands of lives and also you’re casting doubt.

Tulsi Gabbard: ‘no love for Assad, Gaddafi, or any dictator’

Andrew Roth

Tulsi Gabbard, in her opening remarks at her affirmation listening to for nationwide intelligence chief, mentioned that she has “no love for Assad, Gaddafi, or any dictator, I simply hate al-Qaida”.

Gabbard was pushing again in opposition to criticism for her 2017 assembly with the then Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad throughout a go to to Damascus, Syria, that can turn into a focus of questioning in the course of the listening to.

”I hate that now we have leaders who cozy as much as Islamist extremists, minimizing them to so known as rebels,” she mentioned, indicating the previous nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan.

Gabbard has come underneath assault for her public remarks saying that Syria didn’t use chemical weapons in opposition to civilians and that Russia was provoked into invading Ukraine, and for her protection of Edward Snowden.

If confirmed, Gabbard has mentioned that she’s going to “examine my very own private views on the door”.

In her opening remarks, she attacked Biden-era intelligence officers for resulting in a disaster of confidence within the US intelligence neighborhood. Gabbard mentioned she was “dedicated to delivering intelligence that’s collected, analyzed and reported with out bias, prejudice or political affect”.

Gabbard mentioned her army service and work in Congress on the homeland safety, overseas affairs and armed companies committee signifies that “I do know first-hand how important correct, unbiased, well timed intelligence is to the president, to Congress, to our battle fighters. I additionally know the heavy prices of intelligence failures and abuses.”

Gabbard additionally attacked those that raised considerations about her ties to the Science of Identification Basis, which some critics have mentioned is a cult.

“Sadly, they’re as soon as once more utilizing the non secular bigotry card, however this time, making an attempt to foment non secular bigotry in opposition to Hindus and Hinduism,” she mentioned.

If anybody is sincerely all in favour of realizing extra about my very own private religious path, Hinduism, I welcome you to go to my account on X, the place I’ll share extra on this matter.