Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) on Monday defended having opposed every one of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees that have passed through the Senate so far — insisting to CNN in an interview that he has weighed each pick individually.
“I take them one at a time,” Hawley told CNN when pressed on his opposition to close to a dozen Biden nominations on Monday. “If there is someone I think will be good to Missouri, that I can defend to my voters, somebody who I think is going to be good for the job, I’ll vote for them,” Hawley said, citing his support of a deputy defense nominee who was confirmed by the chamber through a voice vote.
CNN pointed out that Hawley has already opposed each of the 11 Cabinet-level nominees requiring Senate approval that have been confirmed so far. There are 23 total.
It’s not uncommon for some nominations to face opposition as a new president brings together a cabinet, but Hawley’s repeated challenges to each of Biden’s nominations is a striking development as he is the only senator to put forward uniform opposition.
The Missouri senator was also a ring leader in objecting to Electoral College votes for Biden, pushing false claims of voter fraud that were central to former President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election that fomented a deadly riot on the Capitol in January.
