Two of Donald Trump’s most divisive Cabinet choices put Republicans on the defensive on Sunday.

On CNN’s State of the Union, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stated that the House Ethics Committee’s inquiry into Trump’s selection of Matt Gaetz as attorney general should not be made public. Gaetz is an ardent supporter of Trump.

Gaetz’s allegations of sex trafficking were investigated by the Justice Department. The House Ethics Committee is still investigating the allegation that he assaulted a 17-year-old, despite the fact that he was not charged.

Trump has appointed Pete Hegseth as his Secretary of Defense. Because he was worried about losing his job at Fox News, Hegseth compensated a woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017, according to his lawyer, who spoke to multiple news sites.

Hegseth has never been charged and has refuted the allegation of sexual assault. But after she threatened to sue him in 2020, the lawyer said, the woman was paid as part of a settlement agreement that included a pledge to keep the money confidential.

Trump named his picks for secretary of energy and a top White House adviser on Saturday, but he did not appoint anyone to his staff on Sunday.

Trump’s personal attorney, Will Scharf, played a significant role in his defense in the federal criminal case pertaining to the January 6 incident at the U.S. Capitol.

In addition, he was appointed the president’s assistant and White House staff secretary. Four personal attorneys have been appointed by Trump to the new government. The fourth is Scharf.

Chris Wright to be nominated as Secretary of Energy

Trump announced on Saturday that he intends to appoint Chris Wright, the CEO of Liberty Energy and a 2024 campaign donor with experience in the oil sector, to head the Department of Energy during his second term in office.

The department oversees the nation’s energy sources, 17 national laboratories, nuclear power research and development, and the cleaning of Cold War-era nuclear projects.

Wright will be a member of Trump’s new Council of National Energy, he added in his statement. Doug Burgum, the choice for Interior Secretary, would head the council, according to the president-elect.

Wright disputed scientists who claim that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are warming the earth in a 2023 LinkedIn video.

According to Wright, neither a climate crisis nor an energy transition is now underway. The method used by Wright’s company to extract natural gas and oil from deep beneath the surface of the earth is hydraulic fracturing.

Trump’s announcement implies that he intends to nominate Wright for Senate approval. Trump has, however, requested that the Senate’s Republican leadership permit recess appointments in order to circumvent the confirmation procedure.

Trump s picks so far: What we know

As of Sunday evening, here are Trump’s choices for important roles in his administration.

• Chief of Staff: Trump named his senior campaign adviser Susie Wiles as his White House chief of staff, the first woman in history to hold the title. The Florida political consultant largely stays out of the spotlight, but has been credited with helping Trump s political comeback.
• Attorney General: Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida has been nominated as the next Attorney General overseeing the Justice Department, that he has long criticized.
• Secretary of State: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is nominated as the next Secretary of State. He will bring foreign policy experience through his roles in the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. A Cuban-American, he is set to be the first Latino person to be Secretary of State.
• Director of National Intelligence: Former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is nominated as the director of national intelligence. The former Democratic presidential candidate-turned Republican represented Hawaii s 2nd Congressional District from 2013-2021.
• Ambassador to the United Nations: Trump nominated Elise Stefanik , a five-term Republican representing a northern New York district, as his pick for UN ambassador. She is the House Republican Conference Chair and a former contender for Trump s running mate.
• Secretary of Health and Human Services: Trump has named Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. The 2024 independent candidate has previously criticized vaccines and questioned the origin of the COVID-19 virus. He is arguably best known for spreading unfounded claims about a link between childhood vaccines and autism.
• Secretary of Defense: Trump nominated Fox News host Pete Hegseth to Defense secretary. A Fox News commentator, Hegseth served in the U.S. Army National Guard and had led veteran s advocacy groups.
• Environmental Protection Agency Administrator: Trump has appointed Lee Zeldin as the administrator of The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Zeldin was a Congressman for parts of Long Island, New York and ran but lost against Kathy Hochul in the 2022 gubernatorial race.
• Director of the Central Intelligence Agency : Trump designated his former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe as CIA director. Ratcliffe previously was a House member from Texas before serving as director of national intelligence at the end of Trump s first presidency.
• Secretary of Homeland Security: Trump announced his choice of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to be the Secretary of Homeland Security. The pick puts the hardline conservative governor, who sent the state s National Guard to the southern border, in a key role on immigration.
• Secretary of Interior : Trump has nominated Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to be his secretary of Interior coordinating federal policy to several territories. Burgum previously ran to be Republican presidential nominee before dropping out in December and has long been vocal about fossil fuels and energy issues.
• Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs: Trump has nominated former Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Collins to be his secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. He served as a congressman representing Georgia s 9th district from 2013 to 2021. A trusted Trump loyalist, he is a chaplain of the United States Air Force Reserve Command and served in the Iraq War in 2008.
• Secretary of the Department of Energy: Trump is nominating oil industry executive Chris Wright , CEO of Liberty Energy and 2024 campaign donor to lead the Department of Energy. Wright, who has expressed skepticism about climate change science, would join a Trump administration that campaigned to roll back climate change policies and clean energy spending ushered in during President Biden s term.
• Deputy chief of staff for policy : Long-standing Trump adviser Stephen Millerhas been tapped for deputy chief of staff for policy in Trump s next administration. The 39-year-old served as senior adviser to Trump and director of speechwriting during the Republican s first term in the White House and is credited with shaping Trump s immigration policies.
• Border czar : Trump has appointed Tom Homanto oversee deportation policy and aviation security. Homan was a Border Patrol agent for 34 years and served in Trump s first administration as acting ICE director. He drew controversy for strict immigration enforcement, including the zero-tolerance policy which separated families of undocumented immigrants.
• National security adviser: Trump has named Florida Rep. Mike Waltzas his national security adviser. Waltz has held civilian positions at the Pentagon, was on the House Armed Services Committee and has supported Trump s isolationist view of foreign relations.
• U.S. ambassador to Israel: Trump announced he is nominating former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabeeas his U.S. ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a Baptist minister and former Fox News host, who has run for the Republican presidential nomination twice, unsuccessfully. His daughter is Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as White House press secretary during Trump s first presidency.
• White House Counsel: Trump tapped William McGinley to serve as his White House counsel. McGinley, a partner at the Washington-based law firm Holtzman Vogel, worked as White House Cabinet secretary during Trump s first presidency.
• U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York: Trump has nominated Jay Claytonas the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Clayton has previously served as chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump s first term.
• Deputy attorney general: Trump has decided lawyer Todd Blanchewill serve as deputy attorney general. Blanche is known for aggressively representing the president-elect in his New York hush money trial and in two federal criminal cases.
• White House Communications Director: Trump named Steven Cheungto be his communications director in his second term. Cheung worked as the rapid response director for Trump s 2016 presidential campaign and was perhaps the most adversarial of the candidate s spokespersons, describing opponents and snowflakes and cucks who suffered from Trump Derangement Syndrome.
• White House Press Secretary: Trump named Karoline Leavittas his second-term White House press secretary. She s expected to be the youngest to ever hold the position.

What are the Cabinet positions?

The president receives counsel from the Cabinet on issues pertaining to their individual positions.

The Senate must approve the following Cabinet positions from the 15 executive departments:

The president receives advice from the Cabinet on matters pertaining to their individual positions.

The Senate must confirm the following Cabinet appointments from the 15 executive departments:

• Secretary of State
• Secretary of Defense
• Attorney General
• Secretary of the Interior
• Secretary of Agriculture
• Secretary of Commerce
• Secretary of Labor
• Secretary of Health and Human Services
• Secretary of Transportation
• Secretary of Energy
• Secretary of Education
• Secretary of Veterans Affairs
• Secretary of Homeland Security
• Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• Secretary of Treasury

The head of the Environmental Protection Agency, the director of national intelligence, the vice president, the chief of staff, the ambassador to the UN, and the U.S. trade representative may also be present.

In the Cabinet, the president receives advice from the heads of the Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisors, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the Small Business Administration.

Contributing: Zac Anderson, Darren Samuelsohn, Karen Weintraub, Alyssa Goldberg, Tom Vanden Brook, David Jackson, Savannah Kuchar, Victor Hagan, Bart Jansen, Fernando Cervantes Jr., Riley Beggin, Michael Collins,Joey Garrison; Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer.

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