How carefully is Trump's team vetting his Cabinet nominees?


Donald Trump and his aides are reportedly speeding through the vetting process for top political nominees, marking a break with past presidential transition teams that have sometimes put months into the effort of digging up nominees' possible black marks. "You would think that these people have been in public life and under scrutiny for so long that there wouldn't be anything to find," a person who served on George W. Bush's transition team explained to Politico. "But sometimes there are surprises."
In the past, transition teams have tried to preempt discovering flaws in a candidate's history before announcing the nomination; President Obama's vetting document, for example, included 63 detailed questions including inquiries about candidates' social media posts. Trump, on the other hand, is reportedly relying on recommendations and forgoing lengthy paperwork — and he could already be behind on initial vetting after the removal of Gov. Chris Christie from the head of his transition team.
A heavy amount of the vetting could now come down on the federal government, including the FBI and the Office of Government Ethics. "OGE was like an appellate court [during Obama's transition]. It sounds like now they're more like a trial court," a lawyer closely tracking the transition told Politico. "I think it's been a big burden on OGE."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Republican Senate is still expected to approve Trump's nominees without much complaint. Read more about Trump's vetting process, and what potential surprises could be in store, at Politico.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
June 22 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include a SpaceX flight, Bibi pulling Donald Trump toward war, and an ICE agent looking like a bank robber
-
5 bunker-busting cartoons about the Israel-Iran war
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on Iran waiting for Pete Hegseth to leak war plans and Donald Trump's wish for a Nobel prize
-
Malaysia's delicious food and glorious beaches
The Week Recommends From 'colourful' George Town to the 'jungled interior' of Langkawi, Malaysia is incredibly diverse
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday
-
Smithsonian asserts its autonomy from Trump
speed read The DC institution defied Trump's firing of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet
-
Trump sends Marines to LA, backs Newsom arrest
speed read California Gov. Gavin Newsom is filing lawsuits in response to Trump's escalation of the federal response to ICE protests
-
Trump foists National Guard on unwilling California
speed read Protests erupted over ICE immigration raids in LA county
-
Supreme Court lowers bar in discrimination cases
speed read The court ruled in favor of a white woman who claimed she lost two deserved promotions to gay employees
-
Trump-Musk relationship implodes in taunts, threats
speed read Musk said Trump's multitrillion bill would cause a recession and accused the president of involvement with Jeffrey Epstein