Trump Cabinet hearings live: Most controversial picks Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel and RFK Jr. face questioning

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Donald Trump’s pick for FBI Director says that he is committed to giving clarity to Americans on who was involved in Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex trafficking ring.

Kash Patel told senators at his confirmation hearing on Thursday that he would work with Republican Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn to get the list of names and flight log for his private jet, so-called the Lolita Express.

‘I want to talk to you about the Epstein case,’ Blackburn said to Patel in the midst of his Capitol Hill grilling. ‘I have worked on this for years, trying to get those records of who flew on Epstein’s plane and who helped him build this international human trafficking, sex trafficking ring.’

‘I know that breaking up these trafficking rings is important to President Trump. Will you work with me on this issue so we know who worked with Jeffrey Epstein in building these sex trafficking rings?’ she questioned.

Absolutely, senator. Child sex trafficking has no place in the United State of America. And I will do everything, if confirmed as FBI Director, to make sure the American public knows the full weight of what happened in the past and how we are going to counterman missing children and exploited children going forward.

Blackburn claims that when Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) was leading the Senate Judiciary Committee, he and Christopher Wray ‘blocked’ her request for the release of co-conspirators.

This led to a back-and-forth from the panel bench between Durbin and Blackburn.

‘In 2023 I was falsely accused of preventing releasing the names of Jeffrey Epstein’s network by Mr. Patel,’ Durbin insisted.

‘So many people are aware, sir, that you and Christopher Wray did not want those out,’ Blackburn fired back during the public disagreement.

‘We have fought this issue for quite some time,’ she added. ‘I look forward to having an FBI that will work to help get these records and end this human and sex trafficking in this country.’

The Senate confirmed former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum on Thursday evening to serve as the Secretary for the Department of the Interior.

The final vote was 79-18, marking bipartisan support for his campaign.

Burgum was one of the finalists in President Donald Trump’s vice presidential search, but ultimately chose Ohio Senator JD Vance.

As the head of the Department of the Interior, Burgum is expected to ramp up energy production on public lands as well as manage national parks and wildlife refuges.

White House stenographers are reportedly struggling to keep up with President Donald Trump and his flurry of public remarks after retaking the presidency.

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifery Homendy stunned reporters after being asked several ways if President Donald Trump jumped the gun by blaming the deadly D.C. crash on ‘DEI’ and previous administrations.

Homendy led a press conference on-site at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Thursday afternoon.

Several of the reporters in the crowd asked her about Trump’s eyebrow-raising assertions that he made standing at the podium earlier Thursday in the White House briefing room.

Trump’s first appearance in the briefing room was an all-out assault on former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Biden’s Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and ‘DEI’ policies – which stands for diversity, equity and inclusion.

From Rob Crilly, Chief U.S. Political Correspondent at the White House

It started with a moment’s silence for the victims of Wednesday night’s plane crash.

And Donald Trump’s prepared remarks ended with a call for prayers of comfort for those who lost loved ones.

So far so good. But in between, he railed against diversity hiring practises for air traffic controllers, including people with dwarfism and complete paralysis, accused his predecessor Joe Biden of watering down standards, and slammed former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for having ‘a good line of bulls***.’

He even delivered a trigger warning before holding forth in a packed White House briefing room.

‘We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas, and I think we’ll probably state those opinions now,’ he said.

It took Biden almost four years to make an appearance in the briefing room.

Trump arrived at the raised lectern in front of the TV cameras after just 10 days to offer an update on the tragedy on the approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, about three miles away.

Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter on Capitol Hill

Progressive leader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took a shot directly at Karoline Leavitt, calling Donald Trump’s new press secretary bad at her job.

‘In case you’re having a bad day at work, remember that at least you’re not Trump’s Press Secretary who tweets were so bad today she earned the entire administration a federal restraining order,’ the New York Democrat wrote on X.

AOC had retweeted a note from POLITICO reporter Kyle Cheney breaking the news that a judge ordered a restraining order against the Trump administration, in part, due to one of Leavitt’s previous X posts.

‘Keep talking and tweeting, girl! You’re doing great!’ the progressive ‘Squad’ founder continued to mock the press secretary.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) froze around $3 trillion in federal funding earlier this week after blasting out a confusing memo. The move outraged many lawmakers, and OMB later rescinded the order.

However, after it was rescinded Leavitt poured diesel onto the raging fire of confusion spreading about the OMB memo by tweeting, ‘This is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze.’

‘It is simply a rescission of the OMB memo. Why? To end any confusion created by the court’s injunction. The President’s EO’s on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented,’ she wrote.

Federal Judge John McConnell granted the restraining order just hours after Leavitt’s post.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Kash Patel tore into Sen. Amy Klobuchar and other Democrats for quoting just ‘snippets of information’ that mischaracterizes what was actually said.

‘If you consent, I would love to have five hours of questions and then I could read the whole transcript,’ the Minnesota Democrat said Thursday during Patel’s confirmation hearing to be FBI Director.

Patel shot back, ‘You’ve got two minutes,’ which was the time allotted for the senator’s questioning of President Donald Trump’s nominee.

‘Wow,’ Klobuchar replied, raising her eyebrows.

Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter on Capitol Hill

The 43-year-old former Hawaii Democrat and Colonel in the Army Reserves was pressed by Republicans and Democrats about where her allegiances lay left and right during the three-hour session.

One of Trump’s most controversial Cabinet selections, lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee fired off inquiries about Gabbard’s qualifications and past praise for adversaries of the U.S. government.

She notoriously has made favorable comments about Vladimir Putin and even visited ex-Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in Damascus in 2017. She later referred to the criticized Syrian visit as a ‘fact-finding mission.’

Gabbard was peppered about supporting a bill while in Congress that would have pardoned former NSA analyst Edward Snowden, who leaked a massive array of classified U.S. documents before fleeing to Russia.

Lawmakers noted how his actions threatened U.S. national security – which Gabbard is now tasked with defending – not to mention the lives of countless personnel.

The exchanges over Snowden reached a contentious peak when midway through the hearing Colorado Democrat Michael Bennet began yelling in an ear-bursting tone at Gabbard over her refusal to call the turncoat a ‘traitor.’

Kennedy was appearing on the hill for a second confirmation hearing as senators decide whether they will confirm the controversial nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

The hearing delved into a wide range of issues that exposed a rift in the Republican party over vaccines while other lawmakers focused on some of Kennedy’s other past words including posting about 9/11 conspiracy theories.

But the hearing took a dramatic turn when Hassan became visibly emotional addressing her Republican colleagues as several backed studying the links between vaccines and autism.

‘You may not know that I am the proud mother of a 36-year-old young man with severe cerebral palsy,’ Hassan said as her voice started to shake.

‘And a day does not go by when I don’t think about what did I do when I was pregnant with him that might have caused the hydrocephalus that has so impacted his life?’ she said.

‘So please do not suggest that anybody in those body of either political party doesn’t want to know what the cause of autism is. You know how many friends I have with children with Autism?’ she said fiercely.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina admitted that the vote to confirm Kash Patel for FBI director will be split along party lines.

Patel sat through roughly five hours of questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday as he ploughs towards confirmation.

While it appears no Democrats will support the vote out of committee, with a Republican majority in the upper chamber, Patel’s nomination will likely face no road blocks going to the full Senate for a vote.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Sen. Adam Schiff tried to force Kash Patel to look at the members of the U.S. Capitol Police force standing guard at his confirmation hearing on Thursday.

Patel didn’t cave as the California Democrat tried to make Donald Trump’s FBI Director nominee come face-to-face with those who faced the violent riots on January 6, 2021.

‘Take a look at them right now. Turn around,’ Schiff demanded.

Patel, repositioning his seat so he was facing more squarely at the senator, said: ‘I’m looking at you. You’re talking to me.’

‘No, look at them,’ Schiff insisted. ‘Tell them you’re proud that you raised money off of people that assaulted their colleagues. That pepper sprayed them.’

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Kash Patel keeps up his refusal to say that Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election.

Vermont Democratic Sen. Peter Welch repeatedly pushed Patel to say the word ‘Biden won.’

‘You guys won,’ Welch said of Republicans. ‘President Trump was duly elected.’

‘It troubles me that so many people have difficulty saying ‘Biden won the election,’’ Welch added during Patel’s confirmation hearing on Thursday. ‘What’s so hard about just saying that Biden won the 2020 election? What’s hard about that?’

President Donald Trump’s FBI Director nominee replied: ‘Senator, as I’ve said before, that President Biden was certified and sworn in and he was the president. I don’t know how else to say it.’

‘Well the other way to say it is he won,’ the senator proposed.

‘He was the president,’ a defiant Patel replied.

‘The other way to say it is he won,’ Welch repeated.

I can say Trump won. I didn’t vote for him, but he won… Al Gore said Bush won when they were having that recount in Florida… Donald Trump has never acknowledged that he lost in 2020… That’s your boss.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Democrat Sen. Cory Booker was fired up as he launched a combative line of questioning towards Kash Patel, who remained a calm subject.

The New Jersey Democrats wanted Donald Trump’s FBI director nominee to admit he committed a crime.

‘You were compelled to testify in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. Did you participate in any criminal conduct involved in that case?’ Booker questioned.

‘No, I testified through compulsion by a court order,’ Patel replied.

As Booker repeatedly asked what Patel said during his closed-door testimony, the nominee would not budge on encouraging him to get the Justice Department to release a transcript for review.

‘Did you or did you not commit a crime?’ Booker pressed, now raising his voice.

Patel replied: ‘Senator, I did not commit a crime.’

He added that it was hard to recall all of what he said over the course of his three weeks of testimony, but again said his testimony is ‘best captured by that transcript in real time.’

‘What are you hiding from Congress?’ Booker asked, clearly exacerbated by the exchange.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

People sent threats to Kash Patel, who is of Indian descent, and called him a ‘sand n****r,’ he recounted during his confirmation hearing on January 30.

Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI was asked by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to recount the racism he faced after testifying before the January 6 Capitol Attack committee.

Patel said he didn’t ‘want to get into those details with my family here,’ but the senator insisted.

‘If you look at the record from January 6, where I testified before that committee, because of my personal information being released by Congress, I was subjected to a direct and significant threat on my life,’ Patel noted.

‘I had to move,’ he recounted. ‘In that threat, I was called… ‘a detestable sand n****r who had no right being in this country.’ ‘You should go back to where you came from,’ ‘you belong with your terrorist home, friends.’ That’s what was sent to me, that’s just a piece of it.’

‘But that is nothing compared to what the men and women in law enforcement face every day and that’s why they have his support,’ he concluded.

Sarah Ewall-Wice, Senior U.S. Political Reporter on Capitol Hill:

Senator Lisa Murkowski is one Republican to watch when it comes to confirming Kennedy

While she did not ask Kennedy specifically about vaccines, she did begin her time by touting the good vaccines have done and calling for not going backward.

She noted that her state has made considerable gains with vaccinations in rural areas and warned about promoting a lack of confidence as her state has dramatically reduced diseases.

‘We can’t be going backward with our vaccinations that will allow for this level of prevention and protection,’ Murkowski said.

She told Kennedy he is ‘clearly an influencer.’

‘I am asking you on the issue of vaccines specifically, to please convey, convey with a level of authority and science, but also with a level of conviction and free of conflict and free of political bias, that these are measures that we should be proud of as a country,’ Murkowski said.

She did not indicate which way she might vote if his nomination does make it to the floor as the HELP Committee will not vote, but she did make it a point to praise the COVID vaccine as extraordinary and said it saves lives.

Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter on Capitol Hill

Russ Vought, Donald Trump’s pick to run the Office of Management and Budget, was passed out of committee Thursday.

The OMB director nominee passed out of the Senatee Budget Committee 11 – 0.

Vought could get a full confirmation vote on the Senate floor as soon as next week.

Notably the Democrat senators on the panel boycotted the session, choosing not to appear.

‘Budget Committee Democrats are boycotting today’s committee vote on Russell Vought’s nomination to OMB. We will not vote for someone so clearly unfit for office,’ the Democrat’s on the committee posted on X.

Hassan brought up Kennedy’s comments before the Senate Finance Committe.

‘During yesterday’s hearing you really showed a lack of knowledge about Medicare and Medicaid, so what is Medicare part A?’ Hassan asked.

‘Medicare Part A pays mainly for primary care or physicians, umm and then,’ Kennedy said.

Hassan cut in that Medicare Part A is seniors’ coverage for in-patient hospital care, before asking about Part B.

‘For physicians and doctors,’ Kennedy interjected.

‘Medicare Part D,’ Kennedy started but was cut off.

Hassan said it is for outpatient care and home health, before asking about Part C.

‘It’s the full menu of all the services,’ Kennedy said, noting A, B, C and D.

Hassan said it’s Medicare Advantage which is the private insurance for seniors.

‘Exactly,’ Kennedy said.

Hassan told Kennedy he wants to be confirmed to ‘be in charge of Medicare, but it appears that you don’t know the basics of this program.’

‘I just explained the basics,’ Kennedy said.

‘No, I had to correct you on several things,’ Hassan said.

‘You just added information senator, you didn’t correct me,’ Kennedy said.

Hassan turned to Medicaid and noted Kennedy told Cassidy yesterday that it is fully paid for by the federal government and not fee for service, but that is false.

Kennedy clarified that the state has a partnership.

‘I misstated something,’ Kennedy acknowledged.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal tore into Donald Trump’s FBI Director pick Kash Patel by claiming he needs to ensure specific protections against the President’s political enemies.

Patel insisted he wants the ‘same standard’ of ‘protection from political retribution’ for all FBI employees – but Blemnethnal said that wasn’t adequate and appeared to want a more explosive run-in with Trump’s nominee for FBI Director.

‘Will you commit that you will not tolerate firing of FBI agents who worked with the special counsel’s office on these [Trump] investigations,’ Blumenthal asked.

‘Senator, I appreciate the time to visit with you in your office –’ Patel started before the senator cut him off.

‘It is a yes or not answer, and it is your first test,’ he insisted.

‘Senator, every FBI employee will be held to the absolute same standard and no one will be terminated for case assignments.’

But Blumenthal replied: ‘And I’m not going to accept that answer, because if you can’t commit that those FBI agents will be protected from political retribution, we can’t accept you as FBI director.’

‘All FBI employees will be protected against political retribution,’ Patel added.

‘Those individuals deserve to be protected from Trump retribution. That was your first test, you failed it,’ the senator said.

‘By saying all FBI employees deserve to be protected?’ Patel questioned, but Blumenthal had already moved onto his next line of questioning.

Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter on Capitol Hill

Colorado Democrat Michael Bennet yelled at Tulsi Gabbard during her confirmation hearing during over her past support of Edward Snowden.

Bennet boomed in a ear-bursting tone when he addressed the nominee.

This is when the rubber hits the road. This is not even to make sure this is not a moment for social media. It’s not a moment to propagate theories, conspiracy theories or or attacks on journalism in the United States.

This is when you need to answer the questions of the people whose votes you’re asking for to be confirmed as the chief intelligence officer of this nation. As my colleague said, this is not about you, it’s about the people that serve the intelligence agencies of the United States.

Is Edward Snowden, a traitor to the United States of America? That is not a hard question to answer when the stakes are this high, senators, your answer yes or no is Edward Snowden a traitor to the United States of America

Gabbard began responding: ‘I understand how critical our national security [is].’

Bennet shot back: ‘Apparently you don’t. Apparently, you don’t.’

The commander-in-chief said the collision was a ‘tragedy of terrible proportions’ and confirmed there were no survivors in staggering remarks criticizing the hiring practices of federal agencies.

He added that he had some ‘pretty good ideas’ of how the disaster occurred and vowed to make sure it would never happen again.

Trump then said he put ‘safety’ first while Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden prioritized politics and called former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg a ‘disaster’ in an extraordinary attack on previous adminsitrations.

Then he insisted that federal agencies need to be hiring based on intelligence rather than on diversity. He added that Air Traffic Controllers need to be ‘geniuises’.

Senator Tim Kaine brought a poster that showed Kennedy’s post from July 2024 where he questioned 9/11.

‘My take on 9/11: It’s hard to tell what is a conspiracy theory and what isn’t,’ the post read.

‘We don’t need folks giving oxygen to conspiracy theories about 9/11,’ Kaine told Kennedy.

He asked the nominee why he decided with everything going on in 2024 to to question 9/11.

‘Senator, the dramatic drop in trust in our government,’ Kennedy said.

Kaine took issue with Kennedy also writing in the post ‘I won’t take sides on 9/11.’

The senator asked if Kennedy if he finds it hard to tell in general what is a conspiracy theory and what is not.

‘My father told me when I was 13 years old, he told me people in authority lie, and that the job of a citizen in every democracy is to maintain a fierce skepticism of government authority,’ Kennedy said.

Kaine noted Kennedy is an authority, but he questioned Kennedy not taking sides on 9/11.

‘Senator, I haven’t investigated it. In the things that I’ve investigated, I take sides on,’ Kennedy said. ‘People are allowed to hold that opinion.’

Kennedy said he would ask for the evidence and if he hears it, he would say if it doesn’t make sense.

Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter on Capitol Hill

A top Republican who was a former helicopter flight surgeon detailed what the pilots of the Army Black Hawk would have likely seen immediately before the fatal plane crash in Washington, D.C.

An American Airlines plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided as the passenger plane was landing at Reagan National Airport just before 9 pm on Wednesday.

Sixty passengers, four crew and three Army personnel are believed to be dead after the collision 400ft over the Potomac River.

Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) revealed that the military helicopter pilots could have been blinded by city lights immediately before the deadly crash.

A former flight surgeon for the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Green, 60, served in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was the special operations flight surgeon on the mission that captured Saddam Hussein.

Speaking with Fox News’ America’s Newsroom on Thursday morning, Green shared that city lights around D.C. and Virginia may have impacted the pilots who were likely using night-vision goggles at the time.

‘There is a lot of lights in that area. It can sometimes make using the night vision goggles difficult,’ Green shared.

The Pentagon confirmed that the pilots were highly trained and would have been using the goggles at the time of the fatal crash.

At the time and altitude, the lights from the city could have impacted the equipment, he added.

‘You are sort of on a threshold when you make that decision about the amount of ambient light from the ground, in the air. That’s something we’ll have to make a determination on.’

Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter on Capitol Hill

Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) offended Gabbard with a question about Russia, causing a tense moment.

‘I want to make certain that in no way does Russia get a pass in either your mind or your heart or in any policy recommendation you would make or not make,’ Moran said probing Gabbard.

‘Senator, I’m offended by the question because my sole focus commitment and responsibility is about our own nation, our own security and the interests of the American people,’ she responded.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Donald Trump’s pick for Army Secretary has told senators he believes the helicopter collision with a commercial aircraft Wednesday night was a training-exercise-turned-disaster.

Retired Army First Lieutenant Daniel Driscoll, who was tapped by Trump to serve as Army Secretary, made the statements during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.

Driscoll said while he only has information on what’s been reported, it appears the incident was a ‘training exercise gone wrong that had catastrophic outcomes.’

There were three soldiers aboard the Black Hawk helicopter that crashed with an American Airlines flight when approaching Reagan National Airport on Thursday.

Officials say there are no survivors of the 64 on board the airplane and the three soldiers on the helicopter.

Senator Patty Murray said she believe character is important in the confirmation process and raised that he was accused of sexual assault and harassment by his family’s former babysitter Eliza Cooney.

Murray noted the report that after the allegations were made in Vanity Fair, Kennedy texted Cooney an apology.

The Washington Post reported the text read ‘I have no memory of this incident but I apologize sincerely for anything I ever did that made you feel uncomfortable or anything I did or said that offended you or hurt your feelings.’

Murray asked him to respond to the accusation directly.

‘Did you make advances toward Ms. Cooney without her consent?’ Murray asked.

‘No I did not, and that story has been debunked,’ Kennedy responded.

Murray asked then why he apologized.

‘I apologized for something else,’ Kennedy said.

Murray asked if there were any other instances where Kennedy made sexual advances without consent

The accusations from Cooney date back to when she worked for the family in the 1990s. The Washington Post report last July reported his apology came two days after the accusation became public and was unsolicited.

Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter on Capitol Hill

Democratic Virginia Senator Mark Warner is threatening Gabbard over her support of past intelligence leaks and dictators.

Warner, during his opening statements, brought up Edward Snowden, a former U.S. intelligence employee at the National Security Agency, who leaked classified information before fleeing to Russia and China.

Gabbard, while she was in Congress, cosponsored a bill to drop charges against Snowden. Now she is seeking to be director of national security, the top official in charge of the same agency Snowden defected from.

‘Not only do you think someone who divulged secrets then ran off to Russia should be celebrated, but you don’t seem to understand the DNI’s role,’ Warner said.

‘You called him a “brave whistleblower,” he continued.

Then he asked Tulsi if she still thinks he is brave.

‘Edward Snowden broke the law. I do not agree with or support all of the information and intelligence that he released, nor the way in which he did it,’ Gabbard said.

‘He released information that exposed egregious, illegal and unconstitutional programs that are happening within our government that led to serious reforms,’ Gabbard qualified.

Warner seemed disgusted by the answer.

‘I cannot imagine a director of national Intelligence, that would say that kind of behavior is okay.’

Warner also noted she may not have the expirience necessary for the role as required by law.

‘I continue to have significant concerns about your judgment and your qualifications to meet the standard set by the law,’ he said.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Kash Patel does not agree with Donald Trump’s blanket pardon for January 6 prisoners and defendants.

President Trump’s pick to lead the FBI said he believes those who commit violence against law enforcement, including those involved in the January 6, 2021 riot, should be in jail.

‘Was President Donald Trump wrong to give blanket clemency to January 6 defendants?’ Sen. Dick Durbin asked during Patel’s confirmation hearing in the Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

‘I have always rejected any violence against law enforcement and I have, including in that group, specifically addressed any violence against law enforcement on January 6,’ Patel said. ‘I do not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement.’

Trump signed an executive order during his first day back in office providing a pardon for the roughly 1,500 charged in the January 6 Capitol riot.

Sanders raised questions over Kennedy’s response to Cassidy over vaccines and autism.

‘The evidence is there. That’s it. Vaccines do not cause autism,’ Sanders said.

Kennedy countered that he’s ‘not going to go into HHS without any pre-ordained’ but Sanders cut him off.

‘I asked you a simple question Bobby,’ Sanders said. He pointed out the studies are there.

‘Senator if you show me those studies,’ Kennedy said.

‘That is a very troubling response,’ Sanders said.

He said the studies are there and Kennedy’s job was to look at the studies as an applicant for the job of HHS secretary.

Senator Cassidy asked whether Kennedy still believes that ‘Lyme disease was created as a military bioweapon?’

He referenced Kennedy telling Senator Bennet in yesterday’s hearing that he probably said that.

Kennedy responded ‘I’ve never believed that senator’

He said he believes we should always follow the evidence and there were three books suggesting that.

‘I have not read them through, but I’ve said we should always follow evidence no matter what it says,’ Kennedy said.

‘I have never said that definitively Lyme disease was created at a biolab,’ he said.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Kash Patel’s parents and sister came from overseas to attend his confirmation hearing on Thursday.

Above Patel hugs his mother while his father looks on.

Patel, in his opening remarks before the Judiciary Committee, thanked his family for making the long trip.

He specifically called out how his mother and father traveled from India to support him in the endeavor to be President Donald Trump’s FBI Director.

Patel leans in to greet his sister, who traveled from overseas to attend his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Thursday, January 30.

Kennedy delivered an opening statement where he repeated some of his testimony from yesterday.

However, he started out by noting he and his wife are heartbroken over the collision last night. He said he could see the rescue operations from his window.

Kennedy repeated that he promised Trump that if confirmed, he would put the health of America back on track.

He also addressed vaccine concerns by repeating he’s not anti-vaccine and anti-industry, saying ‘I’m pro safety. I’m pro-science.’

Kennedy said he believes vaccines have saved lives and play a ‘critical role in health care.’

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis held up a piece of paper showing a ‘Kash Bingo’ card he created to see if he could guess what words Democrats would use to attack President Donald Trump’s FBI nominee.

Tillis, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduced Patel on Thursday.

He showed the game he created to the room and revealed he crossed out four boxes during the opening statements alone.

‘I created a Kash Bingo Card that I have available to any of my colleagues who would like it on the other side of the aisle,’ Tillis said.

Some may view this as an unserious caricature and not appropriate for this committee. Sadly, I consider it a serious caricature of what I expect to be witness today.

I think we’ll have words like ‘enemies list’ and ‘deep state.’

Sarah Ewall-Wice, Senior U.S. Political Reporter on Capitol Hill:

HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA) started the confirmation hearing of Robert Kennedy Jr. by raising his concerns with the nominee’s past actions when it comes to vaccines.

During his opening remarks, Cassidy spoke about the importance of vaccines and his own work on encouraging vaccinations.

The GOP senator and doctor told Kennedy ‘I have some reservations about your past positions on vaccines and other issues.’

He said he has constituents who credit Kennedy in part for not vaccinating their children.

Cassidy said Kennedy will tell senators he’s pro-vaccine, ‘so what will you tell the American people?’

He accused Kennedy of undermining confidence in vaccines with misleading arguments.

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

‘Trump Force One’ – President Donald Trump’s personal plane – was parked on the tarmac of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Thursday morning, as reporters flocked to the airport in the aftermath of Wednesday night’s crash between an American Airlines flight and a Black Hawk helicopter.

It’s unclear why Trump’s 757 was at DCA – or whether the ground stop at DCA impacted the travel of any of the president’s family members.

The White House did not immediately comment on-the-record. The Secret Service also didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter on Capitol Hill

The top lawmaker on the committee, Arkansas Republican Tom Cotton, touted Gabbard’s clean record despite Hillary Clinton claiming otherwise.

‘First, I’m dismayed by the attacks on Ms. Gabbard’s patriotism and her loyalty to our country, for instance, Hillary Clinton has smeared Ms. Gabbard, calling her an asset of a foreign nation.’

‘Let me remind everyone that Ms Gabbard has served in our army for more than two decades. She has multiple combat tours, and she still wears the uniform to this day,’ he said.

‘She has undergone five FBI background checks.’

‘I spent more than two hours last week reviewing the latest, putting eyes on more than 300 pages. It’s clean as a whistle.’

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Senate Judiciary Ranking Member Dick Durnin tore into Kash Patel during his confirmation hearing on Thursday.

He called the idea that President Donald Trump picked Patel to lead the FBI ‘ludacris.’

‘The idea that Kash Patel is going to be the FBI Director is appalling,’ the Illinois senator said in his opening statement. ‘His legal career is modest at best, his ideas are ludacris.’

Patel sat stone-faced listening to Durbin’s inflammatory remarks.

Former Hawaii Democrat Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has arrived at her confirmation hearing to become Donald Trump’s next director of national intelligence.

Gabbard, 43, is one of the most stirring selections the president has made and she could be seen as the most likely pick to not get confirmed.

The nominee took a solo trip to visit former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in 2017 while a congresswoman, a journey that has prompted many questions for her de-facto diplomacy.

Upon arriving into the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing her supporters broke out in chats, yelling ‘USA, USA, USA,’ to which she turned and gave a beaming smile.

‘I will not allow or tolerate disruptions,’ Chairman Tom Cotton quickly reminded the crowd at the introduction of his remarks.

Kash Patel is not and has never been married and he does not have any children.

The 44-year-old bachelor lives in the suburbs of the city of Las Vegas, Nevada.

He is in Washington, D.C. on Thursday for his confirmation hearing to be the next FBI Director. And Patel’s longterm girlfriend is attending the proceedings.

Sarah Ewall-Wice, Senior U.S. Political Reporter on Capitol Hill:

Robert Kennedy Jr. is back on the hill this morning for Day 2 of his confirmation hearings to become the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

He is joined again by his wife Cheryl Hines.

This morning he will be appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in a much smaller room.

Yesterday he appeared before the Senate Finance Committee yesterday where he faced a barrage of attacks from Democratic senators who used his past comments on vaccines and abortion against him.

Here’s a recap from Day 1:

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine and Rep. Don Beyer told DailyMail.com Thursday that they’re certain that some of the passengers who perished in the American Airlines crash were their constituents.

Lawmakers have yet to be briefed on the names of the deceased.

‘There will be constituents of mine on the plane. Absolutely. Just because of – people were flying into Reagan National, right? Flying into Arlington. I have not yet seen a manifest or a passenger list but you kind of have a sense of dread about something like this – you’re going to see names that you know,’ Kaine said in a gaggle with reporters at Ronald Reagan Washington Airport Thursday morning.

Kaine said he wasn’t given a timeline on when the manifest would be released.

‘Someone mentioned that there was a family from Reston here last night. But that’s the only glimmer I have,’ said Beyer, whose Virginia Congressional district hugs DCA.

Beyer was supportive of the decision to reopen DCA Thursday morning.

‘It may well freak people out,’ he acknowledged. ‘But I think that Jack Potter and his decision to reopen the airport is trying to bring back a sense of normalcy,’ he said, referencing the president and CEO of Metropolitcan Washington Airports Authority.

‘The fact that it is still safe,’ he continued. ‘This was an accident last night, in the dark, which is typically when the training exercises are taking place. It is safe, people need to come back. People are eager to get about their business.’

‘And then our job would be to do our best to serve the families that lost loved ones,’ the Virginia Democrat added.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Former lawmaker and attempted assassination survivor Gabrielle Giffords thinks ‘conspiracy theorist’ Kash Patel serving as FBI Director would be a ‘threat to public safety.’

Gifford’s nonprofit executive director Emma Brown released the following statement ahead of his confirmation hearing on Thursday:

‘Patel is woefully unprepared to lead an agency tasked with keeping Americans safe. His troubling ties to extreme groups that oppose basic gun safety measures, combined with his total lack of experience in public safety, make him uniquely unqualified to oversee the FBI.’

Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI Director Kash Patel arrived Thursday morning for his confirmation hearing.

Patel is one of Trump’s more controversial picks and will face an hours-long grilling from the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) shows Patel to his seat for his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Thursday, January 30.

All right. Update this morning. I just got off the phone with the SOUTHCOM commander and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs talking about our efforts at Guantanamo Bay. That is ongoing. We’re leaning forward and supporting the president’s directive to make sure that we have a location for violent criminal illegals as they are deported out of the country. No one’s going to wait on the Defense Department, and we’re working that in real time.

But I also wanted to give an update on the tragedy that happened last night here in Washington, D.C. and provide a little bit more information as we are actively working to investigate and understand what occurred and why. At about 8:48 last night, a UH60, assigned to the U.S. Army Aviation Brigade in the military district of Washington, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, collided tragically with a civilian airliner.

The unit involved the Army unit involved with Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir. It was an annual proficiency training flight. And when we look at the crew and we’re not all. Not all kin have been notified, So we’re going to withhold ranks and names at this point. We do know on our side who was involved. It was a fairly experienced crew, and that was doing a required annual night evaluation. They did have night vision goggles.

The 12th Aviation Battalion, as of now was granted a 48 hour operational pause on contingency missions as what happened is reviewed and a senior level aviation team, an investigative team from our aviation safety center, was deployed last night and already is in Washington, D.C. to investigate what’s going on. We anticipate that the investigation will quickly be able to determine whether the aircraft was in the quarter at the right altitude at the time of the incident.

As I mentioned, next of kin notifications are ongoing. It’s a tragedy, a horrible loss of life for those 64 souls on that civilian airliner. And of course, the three soldiers in that Black Hawk. They’re in our prayers, their families and their communities as people are notified. I can’t imagine and I know it’s it’s gone from a rescue mission to a recovery mission. And we’re with all the first responders that are moving actively to. So at the Defense Department. Our thoughts and prayers go out. We are actively investigating to find out what happened and why. And as we get updates, you will have them. God bless.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley hopes Kash Patel will reiterate to the panel his commitment to restoring public trust of the FBI.

During his opening statement during Patel’s confirmation hearing on Thursday, Sen. Grassley (R-Iowa) denounced claims that President Donald Trump’s nominee has an ‘enemies list’ he plans to use to exert ‘revenge’ against as FBI Director.

‘Mr. Patel, it’ll be your job to restore the public’s trust and return the FBI to its core mission of fighting crime,” Grassley demanded.

He also said: ‘In my time, I’ve never seen our law enforcement and intelligence community institutions so badly infected with political decision-making. They’ve broken faith with We the People.’

‘You must be fair, consistent, and aggressive. Your actions must be based on accountability.’

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Tulsi Gabbard’s chances of becoming Donald Trump’s Director of National Intelligence is in jeopardy.

The controversial Democrat-turned-Republican former congresswoman doesn’t appear to have the votes to make it out of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

A senior aide for the committee told Fox News Digital half of the pael’s Republicans are not sold on Gabbard’s nomination.

With a Republican majority, this means that even members of Trump’s own party are in opposition to Gabbard’s nomination to one of the top national security and intelligence positions in the U.S.

So far, none of Trump’s nominees have failed to be voted out of their respective committees to receive a full Senate floor vote.=

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter in Washington, D.C.

Kash Patel will tell senators during his confirmation hearing on Thursday that he wants to improve Americans’ view and trust of the FBI, according to his opening statement obtained by DailyMail.com.

He will seek to end ‘abuse’ of FBI powers as the law enforcement arm of the Justice Department, but also embolden his field agents to carry out their duties.

‘Let good cops be cops,’ Patel will say in his remarks to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

‘I will focus on streamlining operations at headquarters while bolstering the presence of field agents across the nation.’

He will express his welcome of ‘congressional oversight’ to make sure the FBI ‘operates with the openness necessary to rebuild trust.’