In a crucial day for President Donald Trump’s nominees, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel descended on Capitol Hill for confirmation hearings Thursday.
Kennedy, the nominee for health and human services secretary; Gabbard, chosen for director of national intelligence; and Patel, selected for FBI director, have all generated controversy for a similar reason: Each has launched searing criticisms of the entities they’ve been chosen to lead. Trump is testing the Republican-controlledSenate on where it will draw the line between disruption and institutionalism.
They all sought to clarify or downplay past stances or remarks that have landed them in hot water with senators who will decide whether they’re confirmed.
