ACROSS THE BOW

‘It’s Pass-Fail’: Trump Admin Threatens Cabinet Confirmation Rebels With ‘Consequences’

A senior White House official warned that Trump-allied groups will “exact consequences” on senators who don’t fall in line behind the president’s cabinet picks.

President Donald Trump’s White House fired a warning shot at Senate Republicans who do not fully support all of his cabinet nominees, telling them to brace for “consequences.”

“It’s pass-fail,” a senior White House official told NBC News on Saturday, using the media to issue the threat anonymously. “You either support everyone or you don’t. The Senate needs to advise and consent, not advise and adjust.”

If the official’s statement is taken at face value, that means Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky have already “failed” in the White House’s eyes.

TIE BREAK TIME

Mitch McConnell Almost Sinks Hegseth With Dramatic ‘No’ Vote

Juliegrace Brufke

All three voted against the nomination of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who was confirmed Saturday after Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 tie in the Senate.

Each cited concerns with Hegseth’s lack of experience running a major organization, noting he allegedly mismanaged two small veterans groups earlier in his career before he became a Fox News broadcaster.

The White House official suggested they—and any other Republican Senator who dare cast a vote against a Trump nominee—should expect to face the full force of a “very well-funded consortium of outside groups and political actors that are sophisticated, smart and tough.”

“We’ve already seen that they’ve provided air support and narrative support to some nominees,” they told NBC, alluding to Trump-aligned conservative groups and donors who could run media campaigns against Republicans who break rank, or even fund primary challengers.

“They’ll still be very well-funded when the nominations are over, and they’ll exact consequences, I’m sure, to those who do not support the president’s nominees and get them to the finish line.”

SIR YES SIR!

Hegseth Gives Troops New Marching Orders After Confirmation

Liam Archacki

While Secretary of State and former Florida Senator Marco Rubio was confirmed by his former colleagues in a valedictory 99-0 vote, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem confirmed in a bipartisan 59-34 vote, two of Trump’s most controversial nominees are set to face confirmation hearings this week, setting up potentially contentious votes in the days to follow.

Anti-vaxxer conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Trump has nominated to be secretary of health and human services, and alleged Kremlin sympathizer Tulsi Gabbard, slated to be the next director of national intelligence, will testify to upper chamber committees.

Some Republican Senators reportedly view Gabbard, in particular, with misgivings, citing her lack of intelligence experience, her paying visit to then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2017, and her opposition to aid for Ukraine as it fends off a Russian invasion that the UN deemed in violation of international law.

Reuters reported last month that those who may consider voting against her include Collins, McConnell and Murkowski alongside John Curtis (R-UT).

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Sean Craig

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