VP-elect JD Vance to hold meetings between Gaetz, Hegseth and 'key' GOP senators
Vice President-elect JD Vance will be making the rounds on Capitol Hill this week, arranging meetings between key GOP senators and Trump cabinet picks Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth, a source told Fox News Digital.
"President Trump’s incoming administration is moving at an accelerated schedule in order to make good on getting key nominees confirmed in order to start delivering for the American people," Brian Hughes, a Trump-Vance Transition spokesman, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"Rep. Collins (VA), Rep. Gaetz (DOJ), Pete Hegseth (DOD), and Rep. Stefanik (UN) will all begin their meetings this week with additional Hill visits to continue after the Thanksgiving recess."
GOP senators say Vance, a Republican from Ohio elected to the Senate in 2022, is taking the lead in reaching out to gather support for Trump’s controversial nominees.
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President-elect Trump announced Gaetz as his pick for attorney general Wednesday, an unexpected selection that took many, including fellow House Republicans, by surprise.
Gaetz almost immediately resigned from Congress after Trump tapped him for the job.
If confirmed, Gaetz will head the Justice Department after Trump is sworn in for his second term in January.
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Gaetz, a longtime Trump ally, had been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, which subpoenaed him as recently as September for an ongoing investigation into alleged sexual misconduct with a minor. Gaetz in response told the panel he would "no longer voluntarily participate" in its probe.
It is unlikely the investigation itself would block Gaetz's path to confirmation in the Republican-led Senate, though it could make it more difficult.
Trump also nominated former FOX personality Pete Hegseth to serve as his secretary of defense.
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Hegseth, 44, an Army National Guard veteran who served tours in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, previously hosted FOX Nation's "Patriot Awards," which is the network's version of a Hollywood awards show honoring heroes like first responders.
Hegseth was nominated even though he has no senior military or national security experience.
Vance, who missed all of Monday night’s votes in addition to the first vote on Tuesday, received backlash from several senators.
The Vice President-elect initially said his reasoning for missing the meetings was to join Trump and be part of the interviews for potential candidates for the next FBI director, among other open spots.
"I tend to think it’s more important to get an FBI director who will dismantle the deep state than it is for Republicans to lose a vote 49-46 rather than 49-45," Vance wrote in a post on X.
Vance has since backtracked and deleted the post from X.
Fox News Digital's Breanne Deppisch and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.