Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) expressed concerns on Sunday about President-elect Trump’s team needing to complete thorough background checks for their nominees. During an interview with ABC News’s Jonathan Karl, Klobuchar emphasized the role of the Senate Judiciary Committee in reviewing FBI background checks.
She explained that members of the committee are responsible for ensuring that Cabinet nominees meet the department’s mission by asking pertinent questions related to their background.
Klobuchar raises alarm on background check procedures for Trump’s nominees
Klobuchar noted her concern regarding the nominees, stating that if there isn’t an agreement on FBI background checks, it could lead to complications. “As far as I know, the transition committee hasn’t made that agreement yet,” she remarked during her appearance on This Week.
Some advisers to Trump have suggested shifting the responsibility for conducting background checks on high-level nominees from the FBI to private investigators. Klobuchar, however, was firm in her stance, stating, “They’ve gotta get their background checks together. They’ve gotta get qualified nominees, and then we’re interested in doing the work of the American people.”
Several Republican senators have voiced opposition to the idea of outsourcing the background check process. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has made it clear that the FBI should be the agency in charge of conducting these checks.
Similarly, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) pointed out that the FBI has broader access to law enforcement information at various levels of government, which private firms might not have.
Klobuchar concluded her comments by urging the Trump team to nominate qualified candidates and ensure the background check process proceeds without unnecessary delays, adding, “We will not have brouhahas over people like Matt Gaetz that shouldn’t have been nominated in the first place.”
