NBC News's Chuck Todd in a recent analysis questioned whether President-elect Trump took moral character into consideration when picking Cabinet members, while also taking a swing at the former president and what he suggested was his "low-character crowd."
"He knows he’s behaved badly over the years — he has the civil judgments against him to prove it — in his drive to achieve fame and fortune," Todd wrote Wednesday in his analysis, referring to Trump's legal battles — which are in limbo following his electoral victory. "So, following that logic, nothing makes his success look more mainstream and acceptable than surrounding himself with people who have never let their moral compass get in the way of their own ambitions."
"No one is saying that someone who is accused of sexual misconduct but isn’t charged with a crime should be cancelled from society or be impacted in their ability to get a job," he continued, specifically pointing to Trump's pick of former Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon. "But do they have to be the nation’s defense secretary, overseeing a military that prides itself on character?"
The former "Meet the Press" host went on to criticize Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
"This is a person who has struggled to set an example of living a healthy life, let alone a morally defensible life," he said of Kennedy, who suspended his own independent presidential bid earlier this year to support the president-elect. "Again, can’t the president-elect find someone who shares Kennedy’s views on public health who didn’t attempt to live a consequence-free entitled life that hurt the lives of others?"
Todd wrote that "character" shouldn't be a partisan attribute, saying there are plenty of supporters within each party with good character. But, he argued, people may have gone from being "a bit too puritan" to "a bit too permissive."
“The minute you start making an exception for character flaws on your side of the political fence, you’ll regret it — because one day it will be coming from a political opponent and not a political ally,” he continued. “And wouldn’t it be a shame if the electorate decided that politics now belongs to the low-character crowd."
"This is the moment I fear we are facing," Todd added.
His critique comes as Trump has faced scrutiny over his controversial picks including Hegseth, Kennedy, as well as his choice of former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for the director of national intelligence and the short-lived bid of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for attorney general.
The skepticism is coming from more than just Democrats. Gaetz announced last week that he would withdraw from consideration, after some Republican senators expressed reservations about the potential nomination.
The former lawmaker had been the subject of an internal investigation by the House Ethics Committee looking into whether he took part in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, alongside other accusations. He has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
“We’re a country of 330-plus million human beings, with all that entails. But if we stop demanding or attempting to find high-quality character in our elected officials, then how are we going to become a ‘more perfect union’?” Todd wrote earlier in the analysis.
“And yet, does anyone believe the current political world is attracting the best and the brightest into public service?” he added.
Todd argued that leaning too heavily on a "whatever it takes" mindset can be disastrous and will "eventually boomerang badly."
"Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but when it does, it will be rich with karma," he added.
"We as a nation have taken this concept of 'ends justifies the means' and essentially turned the country’s North Star of 'whatever it takes' for our own success, not just 'whatever it takes' for our own survival," he wrote.
The Hill has reached out to the Trump transition team for comment.
