Iraq War veteran and commentator Paul Rieckhoff sounded the alarm on Wednesday, saying the ongoing attacks on the FBI are an essential part of President-elect Donald Trump's transition.
Rieckhoff joined MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace and ex-Republican Tim Miller for "Deadline: White House" on Wednesday to debate the inexperienced Cabinet appointees being offered up for the new administration.
Wallace began the segment with a video of Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) saying some of his colleagues have "concerns" about many nominees.
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Rieckhoff confessed, "I'm not counting on the Democrats to stop Pete Hegseth. Tammy Duckworth is unique, but when you get to others, I do not think it is formidable. They do not have the same punch."
Democrats lost the majority in the 2024 election, giving Republicans a three-vote majority, which, while narrow, is still enough to deliver Trump Cabinet victories.
Hegseth is one example where Armed Services Committee member, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) indicated she wouldn't support him before an advertising campaign dropped against her back home. Ernst is up for reelection in 2026, and MAGA loyalists threatened to take away her job if she stood up to Trump.
"At the end of the day, what I am looking to are the whistle-blowers in the press," Rieckhoff said. "They will have to hold the line and continue to investigate and find out what else comes out. There are a lot of people who have been in writing alleging things about Pete Hegseth. It only takes one person to go to the press. Maybe those negotiations are happening now. Maybe they're trying to get security protections and other assurances so they can move forward."
He noted it is a long time between the confirmation hearings and now.
"Then and also the FBI — it's not coincidental they are attacking the FBI while they are investigating these people," he continued.
Wallace pushed back, asking what the FBI could turn up that his own Fox News colleagues didn't reveal or that a 22-page police report alleging sexual assault didn't expose.
"There may be more or others. I mean, none of that was known just two weeks ago," said Rieckhoff. "The FBI has resources that the press doesn't have."
See the interview below or at the link here.
- YouTube youtu.be
