On the third day of confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill, there was one emerging theme: Many of the nominees of President-elect Donald J. Trump have disagreements with him on policy.
There were serious questions, efforts at diversion with humor, and long-winded statements by senators. Overall, though, none of the nominees made any major mistakes, and one of them, James N. Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general, was approved as Mr. Trump’s choice for defense secretary by the Senate Armed Services Committee, 24 to 3.
Fun fact: He doesn’t care for the nickname “Mad Dog.”
Here are 10 highlights from the hearings:
■ Mr. Mattis diverged sharply from his prospective boss on Russia, calling Moscow one of the top threats to the American-led world order. “I’m all for engagement,” Mr. Mattis said, “but we also have to recognize reality in terms of what Russia is up to.”
■ Mr. Mattis also put daylight between himself and Mr. Trump on NATO and indicated strong support for the alliance’s principle of collective defense. “My view is that nations with allies thrive, and nations without allies don’t,” Mr. Mattis said.
■ Mr. Mattis said he supported the Iran nuclear agreement, which Mr. Trump has repeatedly criticized.
■ And finally, he said that he had no intention of revisiting the Obama administration’s decisions on social issues at the Defense Department, like the opening of combat roles to women.
■ Representative Mike Pompeo, the Kansas Republican who is Mr. Trump’s nominee for director of the C.I.A., said the agency would pursue information about efforts by Russia to interfere with the American election, including any possible links to the Trump campaign. “I promise I will pursue the facts wherever they take us,” he said.
■ In a reversal, Mr. Pompeo said emphatically that he would not endorse torture, including coercive methods like waterboarding. Mr. Pompeo had previously said he did not believe waterboarding was torture, and that it was legal.
■ Mr. Pompeo signaled that he agreed with the assessment of United States intelligence agencies that Russian President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia tried to promote Mr. Trump’s candidacy and to undermine the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, describing the report that was delivered last week to Mr. Trump and President Obama as “sound.”
■ Ben Carson’s confirmation hearing for secretary of housing and urban development was not attended by Mr. Trump. But Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, directed biting comments at the president-elect. Ms. Warren, while accusing Mr. Trump of hiding his assets, repeatedly asked Mr. Carson if he would commit to keeping taxpayers’ dollars away from Trump businesses.
■ Mr. Carson successfully parried questions about whether someone who had gained acclaim as neurosurgeon was qualified to oversee the vast federal housing agency. Though he has no background in housing, he avoided any major stumbles.
■ Democrats seemed to take it a bit easy on Mr. Carson, with some talking about his young granddaughter attending and others questioning him without being too adversarial.
There were serious questions, efforts at diversion with humor, and long-winded statements by senators. Overall, though, none of the nominees made any major mistakes, and one of them, James N. Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general, was approved as Mr. Trump’s choice for defense secretary by the Senate Armed Services Committee, 24 to 3.
Fun fact: He doesn’t care for the nickname “Mad Dog.”
Here are 10 highlights from the hearings:
■ Mr. Mattis diverged sharply from his prospective boss on Russia, calling Moscow one of the top threats to the American-led world order. “I’m all for engagement,” Mr. Mattis said, “but we also have to recognize reality in terms of what Russia is up to.”
■ Mr. Mattis also put daylight between himself and Mr. Trump on NATO and indicated strong support for the alliance’s principle of collective defense. “My view is that nations with allies thrive, and nations without allies don’t,” Mr. Mattis said.
■ Mr. Mattis said he supported the Iran nuclear agreement, which Mr. Trump has repeatedly criticized.
■ And finally, he said that he had no intention of revisiting the Obama administration’s decisions on social issues at the Defense Department, like the opening of combat roles to women.
■ Representative Mike Pompeo, the Kansas Republican who is Mr. Trump’s nominee for director of the C.I.A., said the agency would pursue information about efforts by Russia to interfere with the American election, including any possible links to the Trump campaign. “I promise I will pursue the facts wherever they take us,” he said.
■ In a reversal, Mr. Pompeo said emphatically that he would not endorse torture, including coercive methods like waterboarding. Mr. Pompeo had previously said he did not believe waterboarding was torture, and that it was legal.
■ Mr. Pompeo signaled that he agreed with the assessment of United States intelligence agencies that Russian President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia tried to promote Mr. Trump’s candidacy and to undermine the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, describing the report that was delivered last week to Mr. Trump and President Obama as “sound.”
■ Ben Carson’s confirmation hearing for secretary of housing and urban development was not attended by Mr. Trump. But Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, directed biting comments at the president-elect. Ms. Warren, while accusing Mr. Trump of hiding his assets, repeatedly asked Mr. Carson if he would commit to keeping taxpayers’ dollars away from Trump businesses.
■ Mr. Carson successfully parried questions about whether someone who had gained acclaim as neurosurgeon was qualified to oversee the vast federal housing agency. Though he has no background in housing, he avoided any major stumbles.
■ Democrats seemed to take it a bit easy on Mr. Carson, with some talking about his young granddaughter attending and others questioning him without being too adversarial.
