Trump’s outsider nominees ran the Senate gauntlet and emerged unscathed, by Ben Whedon

The Democrats and RINOs have got nothing real on Gabbard, Kennedy, or Patel. From Ben Whedon at justthenews.com:

With Pete Hegseth now confirmed as Secretary of Defense, the trio represent the last of Trump’s unconventional nominees tasked with substantially overhauling the departments they’ve been appointed to lead

Three of President Donald Trump’s most contentious nominees for Cabinet posts faced tense confirmation hearings on Thursday, with Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. all fending off attacks from irate Democrats, many of whom pressed on partisan matters, such as the Jan. 6 capitol riot.

Kennedy found himself in familiar territory after appearing Wednesday before the Senate Finance Committee. With Pete Hegseth now confirmed as Secretary of Defense, the trio represent the last of Trump’s unconventional nominees tasked with substantially overhauling the departments they’ve been appointed to lead.

Each met significant skepticism, including much from the Republican side of the aisle. All three emerged unscathed by any new outrage — manufactured or otherwise —  though they may not have flipped any lawmakers to the cause as many seemed to have already resolved to vote against their confirmations.

Here’s a look at how things played out.

Patel

The FBI Director-designate’s hearing before the Judiciary Committee was far and away the most tense. The bureau has faced scandal after scandal in recent years, including widespread allegations of politicization.

While much of the hearing saw lawmakers agree on the need for a non-partisan and independent FBI, Democrats worked to paint Patel as a Trump loyalist who would invariably comply with the president’s, possibly unlawful demands.

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