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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
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.
-
Where will international students go if not the US?
Talking Points China, Canada, UK ready to educate the world
-
5 electrifying books to read this June to spark your imagination
The Week Recommends A love story set in space, a pair of ambitious debuts and more
-
The New World screwworm is making a deadly comeback
The explainer The parasite is spreading quickly
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges