GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma told CNN that he will back Kash Patel to be FBI director after meeting with him on Capitol Hill.
Mullin also said that he thinks President-elect Donald Trump’s defense secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, is doing a “phenomenal job” in his meetings with senators, saying, “there’s not one single Republican that’s opposed any of these nominations that are out there right now.”
“I do,” Mullin said, when asked if he feels comfortable voting for Patel for the position. “I was comfortable beforehand. I’ve had the privilege of knowing Kash and we’ve sat down and talked.”
Asked if he’s concerned that Trump will have to expend too much political capital on some of his more controversial nominees, Mullin downplayed the suggestion and argued that all of the picks currently under consideration are in good shape.
GOP North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who is up for reelection in 2026, defended Trump’s nominees, saying he does not have concerns about them.
“No, I don’t (have concerns),” Tillis told CNN. “I know everybody’s trying to get that ‘gotcha’ question that you know kind of creates friction between a member and the president. I voted for every nomination that ultimately got voted on in President Trump’s first term.”
GOP Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who also serves on the Judiciary panel, agreed that it will take some time to figure out if all of these picks are confirmable. “We haven’t had a single hearing or a single FBI background check completed. So, I think as frustrating as it is for some people, there’s a process, and I’m for seeing the process through so we can make informed decisions,” he said.
After meeting with Hegseth Tuesday morning, Cornyn said he will support Trump’s pick for defense secretary.
“I will support Pete Hegseth, as I always say, barring any unforeseen circumstances. But I’ve known him a long time, I was satisfied with his answers, and I think this is going to be a hard process on him and his family, and some of it will be enormously unfair,” he said to reporters.
