Subservient Senators Endanger the Nation

With power comes the responsibility to uphold the law and conduct oneself ethically. The enormous power of presidential appointments, which include leading institutions that protect national security, should only be bestowed after thoughtful vetting. 

This principle is embedded in the Constitution, as our Founding Fathers directed the Senate to confirm presidential cabinet members. Sadly, Idaho’s Republican senators have pledged to approve the president-elect’s appointee choices blindly. 

This is a dereliction of their constitutionally mandated duty to check presidential power. The recent release of the bipartisan House Ethics Committee report on Matt Gaetz, the would-be head of the Department of Justice who stepped aside, shows how reckless this is. 

Gaetz’s behavior was widely known before the president-elect announced his appointment. The report confirmed its extent.

Even the committee membership that opposed the report’s release because Gaetz resigned from the House (ostensibly to bury the report) confirmed the findings. Their letter states, “From at least 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him. In 2017, Representative Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl. During the period 2017 to 2019, Representative Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions. Representative Gaetz accepted gifts above permissible amounts, including transportation and lodging in connection with a 2018 trip to the Bahamas. In 2018, Representative Gaetz arranged for his chief of staff to assist a woman with whom he engaged in sexual activity in obtaining a passport, falsely indicating to the U.S. Department of State that she was a constituent.” 

This behavior is criminal and unbecoming of the Office of the Attorney General. It’s also a national security risk. Serious skeletons in one’s closet make it easy for our enemies to manipulate and blackmail officials into complying with demands and sharing classified information.

This isn’t the only alarming cabinet selection. Tulsi Gabbard, the pick for Director of National Intelligence, has been flagged for suspicious travel patterns and questionable foreign connections while espousing views sympathetic to Russian interests. Secretary of Defense pick Pete Hegseth is known for drinking on the job, aligning with white Christian nationalism, and mistreatment of women, including a sexual assault allegation. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. touts conspiracy theories and spreads misinformation about life-saving vaccines, proving he’s unfit to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Such nominations should not be taken seriously, let alone rubber-stamped. Our nation is fortunate to have many brilliant, experienced leaders within our military, national security agencies, and public health organizations. It is foolish and dangerous to pretend unfit people are our only options.

I hope Idaho’s GOP senators will rethink their stance and undertake due diligence to protect our nation.

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Lauren Necochea
Idaho Democratic Party Chair