Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman who was the only Democrat leader to vote in favor of Pam Bondi, the attorney general of the Donald Trump administration, said he would not vote for the confirmation of Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. “I have met with most of the cabinet nominees and have carefully watched their confirmation hearings. After considering what’s at stake, I have voted against moving forward to the confirmation of Ms Gabbard and Mr Kennedy and will be voting NO for their confirmations,” Fetterman posted.
Fetterman, a probable candidate for the 2028 presidential election, was seen warming up to President Donald Trump and when he broke the ranks with his party senators to vote in favor of Pam Bondi, he faced a massive backlash with the critics asking him to join the Republican Party. But now he made it clear that he won’t want Tulsi Gabbard as the director of national intelligence and RFK Jr as the health secretary.
Fetterman also supported Donald Trump’s proposal for the United States to take over the war-torn Gaza Strip.
Both Gabbard and Kennedy Jr are on thin ice as both of them are quite controversial picks for their posts.
Senators were reluctant to advance Gabbard’s nomination as during the hearing she sidestepped questions on whether she considered whistleblower Edward Snowden a traitor to the US. Kennedy was also grilled in the hearing for his controversial takes on vaccines and other public health issues though he asserted that he was not against vaccines.
Why Fettermen voted for Pam Bondi
Pam Bondi was confirmed by the Senate in a 54-46 vote. Though Fetterman’s vote was not decisive, he stood out as the only Democrat senator to have voted yes for Bondi. Fetterman clarified that he supported Pam Bondi because of her qualifications though he did not think she was the ideal choice for the attorney general position. “She’s qualified, and it’s not my ideal pick, but it turns out (former Attorney General) Merrick Garland wasn’t anyone’s ideal one either,” Fetterman said.
Nicole Shanahan trolls Fetterman
Kenndy Jr’s aide Nicole Shanahan who threatened senators that if they don’t confirm RFK Jr, then they won’t remain the senators trolled Fetterman and said instead of pretending to be a strong American man, Fetterman should go to the gym. “Fetterman toys with the ideal of being a strong American Man, but he is a lazy slob who can’t get to the gym in spite of wearing gym clothes all day long. I do not expect someone who can’t manage to dress themself to make good decisions, let alone those as important as the health of a nation,” Shanahan who was Kennedy Jr’s running mate when he was independently constesting for the presidential election said.