Trump transition team assembles 'war room' to push through Cabinet picks

Donald Trump's transition team is bracing for a fight to confirm the president-elect's Cabinet choices, and they are reportedly assembling a "war room" to make sure it is a battle that goes in their favor, Politico reports. "Given the insatiable appetite of the public and the media, I think the transition saw this as necessary," one person on the team told Politico anonymously.

While Trump's Cabinet nominees will benefit from a friendly Republican-controlled Senate, critics can make the confirmation rough going. "One of the things Americans wanted was a change election, so you have some unconventional candidates," one senior transition official said. Or, as Politico puts it, the task of the war room will be to "convince Americans that the billionaires, generals, donors, and CEOs chosen by the president-elect have the expertise to manage the federal government — even if they have no Washington experience."

The war room will be stocked with people to defend the nominees as well as "media sherpas" to coach the nominees on how to field difficult questions. Each candidate "is being viewed as its own special project," according to a GOP strategist who is familiar with the transition team's plans.

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