White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Wednesday that he had “100 percent confidence” Republican donor and charter schools advocate Betsy DeVos would be the next secretary of education, even though two Republicans have said they would vote against her confirmation.
Incorrectly referring to DeVos as an “educator”—she has never taught at or even attended a public school—Spicer condemned “the games being played” with her nomination process.
“I have 100 percent confidence she’ll be the next Secretary of Education,” Spicer said. “She’s an unbelievably qualified educator, an advocate for students, teachers, and parents. I think the games being played with Betsy DeVos are sad. And yet she is someone who’s been a tireless advocate over the last couple decades to support reforms that benefit children.”
Asked again about two Republicans who’ve announced their opposition to DeVos’ nomination, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Spicer maintained that he wasn’t worried about the Senate vote tally even though it currently stood at a tie.
“The vote hasn’t taken place,” he said. “I think we’ve had some concerns in the past, and I think when these nominees have met with them and shared with them their thoughts throughout the process— Again, you can go back, story after story, and, again, each one of those folks who I’ve heard isn’t going to make it, is going to go over the finish line each time.”