WEBVTT - Will Trump's Cabinet Picks Be Confirmed? | A Conversation with Chris Cillizza

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<v Speaker 1>You're gonna jump right in step because we're talking. Before

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<v Speaker 1>we went live, I said, I feel like we we

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<v Speaker 1>have to talk about Matt Gains like we can't, can't

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<v Speaker 1>ignore the literal elephant in the room. All right, So

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<v Speaker 1>give me your okay, let me ask you this way,

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<v Speaker 1>and then you go take it the way you want.

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<v Speaker 1>Will Matt Gates serve a day as the attorney general

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<v Speaker 1>in a Donald Trump administration? No? Okay, tell me.

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<v Speaker 2>Why, No, he's not. He's not going to get confirmed.

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<v Speaker 2>And I think that there's a couple of things going

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<v Speaker 2>on right now. So I look at the numbers and

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<v Speaker 2>I actually think this is gonna be a big deal

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<v Speaker 2>in the weeks ahead. Small moral victory, but Donald Trump

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<v Speaker 2>will not wind up with majority support in the electorate.

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<v Speaker 2>It will be a plurality victory. He will drop down,

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<v Speaker 2>I suspect looking at the numbers coming in under that

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<v Speaker 2>fifty percent mark. And so this is and still is

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<v Speaker 2>a closely divided country.

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<v Speaker 1>Yep. So I could go on for a long time about.

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<v Speaker 2>Some of the deficiencies that led to the scene that

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<v Speaker 2>we saw today in the White House with Trump and Biden,

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<v Speaker 2>and we moved in to that, and.

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<v Speaker 1>That's Biden's legacy.

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<v Speaker 2>There it is, And a couple of hours later we

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<v Speaker 2>have Tulca Gabbert, who's as equally unfit to be the

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<v Speaker 2>Director of National Intelligence, joining Pete head Seth, who's as

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<v Speaker 2>equally unfit nominated as Defense Secretary. So the American people

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<v Speaker 2>are fickle. And I just would remind everybody watching the

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<v Speaker 2>approval level for the Iraq War on the day the

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<v Speaker 2>bombing began with seventy seven percent yep, and it doesn't

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<v Speaker 2>end up like this. So experience and suffering are great teachers.

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<v Speaker 2>I would say to everybody, like, we're gonna get into this.

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<v Speaker 2>There is no department that Elon Musk is heading. It

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<v Speaker 2>doesn't exist. Nope, there is no agency. There's no budget,

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<v Speaker 2>there's no statute, there's no authority.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean literally, just like you and I could make

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<v Speaker 1>up it and that would happen.

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<v Speaker 3>You and I could say Chrystmalas and Stever doing the

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<v Speaker 3>you know, the department of whatever substack in YouTube, like

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<v Speaker 3>it has the exact same current authority as the thing

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<v Speaker 3>for Ramswami and Buster are doing.

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<v Speaker 1>Now.

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<v Speaker 2>Trump won the election. Trump controls the Senate, MAGA controls

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<v Speaker 2>the Senate. It's supposed to be a coequal branch of government.

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<v Speaker 2>Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins plus plus plus, And I

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<v Speaker 2>guess my question is what is the line? Because no

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<v Speaker 2>serious person who cares about civil liberties the constitution vote

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<v Speaker 2>for Matt Gays, who was under investigation until literally the

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<v Speaker 2>moment he resigned Congress for illegal drug use, hard drugs, coke,

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<v Speaker 2>sleeping with underage women Attorney General of the United States

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<v Speaker 2>is just unacceptable and it gives you a glimpse into

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<v Speaker 2>the future of what this is gonna be like. And

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<v Speaker 2>literally tomorrow morning is seven hundred and thirteen days until

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<v Speaker 2>the midterm election, which is right. The years are right,

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<v Speaker 2>the years are short, the days are long and gonna

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<v Speaker 2>We're gonna have some long days over the next two

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<v Speaker 2>short years.

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<v Speaker 1>I think. I think my favorite reaction like just so

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<v Speaker 1>people know, like Matt Gates is not for everything. Steve said,

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<v Speaker 1>I'll add one thing. Matt Gates is very I don't know,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know if reviled this white word, but very

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<v Speaker 1>disliked among Republicans even in Congress. My favorite response was

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<v Speaker 1>Mike Simpson, who's like an old timey Republican. He's from Idoh,

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<v Speaker 1>he's been there. Forever kind of established and guy he said,

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<v Speaker 1>some reporter said, what did you hear that Gates got

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<v Speaker 1>a denomination from Trump? For ag? He said, you gotta

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<v Speaker 1>be shitting me, which is like my favorite, like honest response.

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<v Speaker 1>And I do think I'm stunned that he You know, what,

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<v Speaker 1>were you sur Let me ask you this and then

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<v Speaker 1>we'll move on. Were you surprised when you heard the

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<v Speaker 1>Gates thing or not? I am?

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<v Speaker 2>I have an emotional dissonance that every time one of

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<v Speaker 2>these is revealed, I'm simultaneously shocked yet not surprised. So

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<v Speaker 2>the experience of it sitting and I'm not happy about this.

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<v Speaker 2>Let's just say that my public disposition towards this has

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<v Speaker 2>been worst case scenario for a long time. And so

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<v Speaker 2>there are people that are close to me that, in

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<v Speaker 2>the twenty four to forty eight hours after the election,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, call up and say, I don't think you

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<v Speaker 2>should use the word fascist, which I've used to describe

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<v Speaker 2>and I think is appropriate. You are catastrophizing this, And

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<v Speaker 2>I listen, and I try to be humble, and I

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<v Speaker 2>try to look in the mirror and say, but then

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<v Speaker 2>when he makes disappointment, I know that I am right

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<v Speaker 2>and that everything that I have said is going to

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<v Speaker 2>come to pass, that this will be a catastrophe. You

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<v Speaker 2>have in the form of Tulci Gabbert for those of

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<v Speaker 2>you you know listening may or may not remember her

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<v Speaker 2>trip to Syria to bascharel Assade. Extremely strange. This a

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<v Speaker 2>just a fringe congresswoman. No difference between her and a

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<v Speaker 2>Marjorie Taylor Green, same same person. Uh, this is a deeply,

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<v Speaker 2>deeply unfit person who parrots all the time Vladimir.

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<v Speaker 1>Putin talking points.

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<v Speaker 2>So the she is what is called a useful idiot, right,

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<v Speaker 2>and she's gonna be the director of National Intelligence and

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<v Speaker 2>a nothing nothing of the Fox News loom who's been

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<v Speaker 2>nominated as Defense secretary. And the reality is is the

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<v Speaker 2>is the Senate has to kill all three of these

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<v Speaker 2>these nominees. I mean, if you're a United States senator

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<v Speaker 2>and you give a fuck at all, and I and

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<v Speaker 2>I mean that at all. There's some conversation that takes

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<v Speaker 2>place in Washington, and I'm encouraged, and by encouraged, I

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<v Speaker 2>mean a cintilla of encouragement with John fun because that

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<v Speaker 2>signals that of the three, the Senate was sending a

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<v Speaker 2>message to Maga that we're the United States Senate. We're

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<v Speaker 2>gonna be independent, so I don't know what happens here,

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<v Speaker 2>but but these people right are unfit.

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<v Speaker 1>And by the way, the.

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<v Speaker 2>Senate Democrats have some prerogatives here. They're gonna get the

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<v Speaker 2>FBI reports on these people, They're they're going to vet them,

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<v Speaker 2>they're gonna get to question them.

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<v Speaker 1>And these processes should be brutal.

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<v Speaker 2>And this idea that Trump is going to circumvent the

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<v Speaker 2>Senate confirmation process and collusion, I cannot imagine that it's

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<v Speaker 2>gonna happen.

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<v Speaker 1>But if it does.

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<v Speaker 2>If it does, and Trump is able to assemble the

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<v Speaker 2>most unfit cabinet in American history with a capitulation on

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<v Speaker 2>the part of the US Senate regarding their advice and consent,

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<v Speaker 2>then we're at a place in the country really where

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<v Speaker 2>our democracy.

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<v Speaker 1>Is under a deep threat by action, not just word.

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<v Speaker 2>And at that point we start having questions about civil disobedience,

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<v Speaker 2>about mass protests, or it's all gone in six months

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<v Speaker 2>to a year.

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<v Speaker 1>I think that it's so interesting you mentioned and we're

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<v Speaker 1>gonna move on. It's interesting you mentioned Telsea Gabbert because

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<v Speaker 1>I had a friend in the intelligence world say, after

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<v Speaker 1>the Gate thing, which was right almost simultaneous with the

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<v Speaker 1>Gabbart things, say, look, I know the Gates thing is

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<v Speaker 1>gonna get the most attention, you know, like, I get it,

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<v Speaker 1>but that the Gabbert thing was what he was more

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<v Speaker 1>concerned about because of who she is, in her back

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<v Speaker 1>and the role right and his estimation of the likelihood

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<v Speaker 1>that she would she was more likely to get confirmed

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<v Speaker 1>than Gates, which which I thought was like, I know,

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<v Speaker 1>we focused on Gates. I get why we focus on Gates,

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<v Speaker 1>but I actually think I'm glad you mentioned that because

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<v Speaker 1>I think it's a good point.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm Steve Schmidt. This is the warning, and I invite

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<v Speaker 2>you to join. Subscribe on our substack, on our YouTube channel,

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<v Speaker 2>follow us. Welcome to the community.