Tough questions facing Trump's nominees

Some of Donald Trump's top allies will face questioning from senators this week as part of the process for their role in confirming or rejecting the president-elect's nomination.

The hearings that begin Tuesday are the first time senators have publicly questioned some of Trump's more controversial picks.

Nominees must be confirmed by vote. Although the upper chamber of Congress is now controlled by Trump's Republicans, just three defections would be enough to cost a nominee his job.

Here are some of the tough questions these nominees may be preparing to face.

One of the first confirmation hearings will be one of the most closely watched.

Trump's nominee for defense secretary is expected to face questions on Tuesday about his lack of management experience and alleged alcohol abuse.

Politico reported that senators could ask Hegers about allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in a California hotel room in 2017.

Hegseth denies this and insists the encounter was consensual. The allegation was investigated, but Hegseth, a military veteran and former Fox News host, was never arrested or charged.

Hegseth and the unnamed plaintiff later reached a confidential financial settlement in 2023. His lawyer later told The Associated Press that the payment was to prevent a baseless lawsuit.

Trump has stood by his choice and is one of the nominees who has been busy courting senators in recent days to try to shore up the necessary votes.

According to US media reports, Democratic opponents on the committee also plan to inherit Hegseth's previous position against women serving in the military.

In the spotlight Wednesday will be the woman who could be responsible for fulfilling one of Trump's top campaign promises – what his team calls the largest mass deportation of illegal immigrants in U.S. history.

As the president-elect's pick for homeland security secretary, Noem is likely to face questions about the practicality of enforcing that commitment. Experts say a mass eviction plan of the proposed size could face logistical or legal difficulties.

Noem may also face questions about other potential immigration policies, such as Trump's vow to end birthright citizenship.

She has been a loyal and outspoken supporter of the president-elect's promises, consistent with other nominees and appointees of Trump's second term.

The man chosen to lead Trump's foreign policy agenda has participated in the confirmation hearings of Trump's nominees for secretary of state.

At the 2017 meeting, he expressed displeasure with Rex Tillerson, urging him to describe Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal, but Tillerson refused to do so.

If that meeting showed the differences of opinion between Rubio and Trump, then rivals, the two appear to be even more aligned eight years later.

Rubio is now holding one of the most coveted jobs in the Trump administration and is expected to face relatively little resistance on his path to confirmation.

But senators are likely to test his loyalty on Wednesday with a series of questions about future U.S. support for Ukraine's war with Russia. Trump sees this as a drain on U.S. resources — a view that could conflict with Rubio's hawkish views on foreign policy.

Another nominee facing a possible test of Trump's loyalty at a Senate committee hearing that has not yet been scheduled is one of the officials responsible for implementing Trump's sweeping tariffs.

Trump has threatened to impose import taxes on a variety of goods arriving in the United States, including from some of its major trading partners, in what he says is an effort to protect American jobs.

Lutnick, the billionaire CEO of financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald, accepted the offer, although the stance was at odds with others in the industry and some leading economists.

He is likely to face immediate questions about the impact of sweeping new tariffs on the U.S. economy and consumers.

Republicans and Democrats alike are likely to question Trump's choice for director of national intelligence, asking about her past comments about U.S. adversaries such as Russia and Syria.

Gabbard, another military veteran, has consistently opposed U.S. interventionist foreign policy. In 2017, when she was a Democratic congresswoman, she met with then-Syrian President Bashar Assad and expressed doubts about a U.S. intelligence assessment that accused him of using deadly chemical weapons.

Five years later, after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she blamed NATO and echoed the Kremlin's assertion that there were U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine.

Gabbard talked about the need for dialogue with countries like Russia.

Democrats will reportedly delay her hearing until the background check is completed.

One of Trump's most unconventional picks, like Gabbard, embarked on a political journey that actually began with the Democratic Party.

Kennedy has since become a Trump supporter and secured the nomination.

He has no medical qualifications, which could raise thorny questions on both sides of the political divide.

His past statements about established science may also come under scrutiny. He has repeatedly made widely debunked claims about the dangers of vaccines but has denied opposing them more broadly.

On other issues — such as scrutinizing food additives — Kennedy has garnered broader support.

Some critics of Trump's choice to lead the FBI have expressed doubts about Patel's qualifications to run the nation's premier law enforcement agency. Others also worry he may seek to retaliate against Trump's opponents.

“We will go after those in the media who lied to American citizens and helped Joe Biden rig the presidential election,” he previously said, citing Trump's baseless claims about the 2020 election.

While former law enforcement officials have questioned his ability to lead the agency, Patel's experience as a lawyer and in multiple national security roles has been praised by the Trump team and some Republicans.

Patel's stated goal is to overhaul the way the FBI works, including purging some senior staff.

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