An impasse over FBI background checks for Trump’s Cabinet nominees will likely be resolved \u201cin the next few days,\u201d a top Republican told reporters Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do think there will be FBI background checks,\u201d said Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the ranking GOP member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.<\/p>\n

The comments came amid fears the incoming Trump administration plans to bypass the customary step for top appointees<\/a>, raising concerns about its vetting of candidates. The potential departure from protocol has sparked a debate about the necessity of reviewing the background of people who would hold high-level positions, with Democrats calling it a prerequisite<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has urged Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, who will lead the Republican majority next year, to insist on thoroughly vetting Trump\u2019s picks. Schumer said in a letter that Democrats are committed to a confirmation process that includes “reviewing standard FBI background-investigation materials.”<\/p>\n

“In our system of checks and balances, the Senate plays a vital role in ensuring the President appoints well-qualified public officials that will dutifully serve the American people and honor their oaths to the Constitution,” Schumer wrote<\/a>. “Regardless of party, the Senate has upheld this sacred duty for generations and we should not and must not waver in our Constitutional duty.”<\/p>\n

Wicker will lead the panel considering the nomination of Pete Hegseth, Trump\u2019s pick for Defense secretary, who has faced allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse. Hegseth was on Capitol Hill again Monday to meet with Republican senators to shore up his nomination.<\/p>\n

In Hegseth\u2019s case, the decision is needed soon if Trump wants his Defense secretary confirmed on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20. But the question has overshadowed the confirmation process for Cabinet picks overall and raised questions<\/a> about whether the Senate could do its own investigations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the issue of who does the background check is about to be resolved in conversations between leadership on both sides of the aisle and the transition team,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cSo wait for the next day or two.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wicker declined to say directly whether the absence of an FBI background check is disqualifying for Hegseth, but said his \u201cpreference\u201d is that it happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy preference is that we honor the precedent that has been in place since the Eisenhower administration, and be informed by the agency that does background checks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"