A quiet but bitter partisan clash is under way on Capitol Hill over President-elect Donald Trump’s choices for key Cabinet posts, as Republicans face immense pressure to fast-track confirmations and Democrats charge that they are cutting corners on vetting for critical administration jobs.
The feud is coming to a head as senators are planning a crowded schedule of confirmation hearings next week, with more than a dozen planned and more possible before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
Republican senators who attended a private planning session with Trump at the Capitol on Wednesday evening said that he urged them to stay united behind his picks after some Republicans have expressed their own reservations about certain candidates. Some have also sided with Democrats in insisting that senators must be allowed to review FBI background checks and other pertinent material on the nominees before passing judgment.
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