Video: Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04) Says She’s “Extremely Concerned” About Hegseth, Gabbard Nominations; Says Trump’s Cabinet is Like “a cast…of a reality [TV] show”

Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04) nails it on the WILDLY unacceptable nomnination of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense and Tulsi Gabbard to be Director of National Intelligence.

• “This appears to be a full of cabinet that’s more a cast…of a reality [TV] show than a cabinet that would be qualified to run the agencies they have to run. And Pete Hegseth’s is particularly concerning, because he has no qualifications that show he can run an agency as large as the Department of Defense, that is important to our national security as it is, that he can continue to lead in a way that keeps our our armed forces ready for the problems that they could face. And his allegations around sexual assault around, drinking on the job, financial impropriety in the organization he did run are all very concerning.”
•  “I am very concerned. [Tulsi Gabbard] has shown a closeness and admiration for authoritarian leaders of countries that are our adversaries, particularly Russia and Syria. And I have deep deep concerns about whether she would hold our national security secrets or whether they would fall in the hands of people that should not have them. She again shows that she has no qualifications to lead this agency. And particularly when you combine her with Pete Hegseth at the Department of Defense, I am extremely concerned about these two candidates.”
• “I am hopeful that we will avoid a government shutdown on the 20th and that we will kick the can down the road yet again on funding into at least March.  But what we’ really need to do is get our act together as Congress to pass appropriation bills and not these these stopgap measures time and time again. Going back to our national security interest, it is very difficult for the Department of Defense to plan, to make its  procurement decisions, when we keep kicking the can down the road like this. And state and local governments depend on stability, businesses depend on stability, the American people depend on stability. We need to pass a stopgap measure on the 20th and then get down to business passing a budget well before the deadline.” [NOTE: McClellan diplomatically refers to “Congress” generically as being the problem here, but of course it’s 100% the fault of House Republicans. Democrats should just say that, clearly, any time they’re asked.]