Marco Rubio forecasts tough slog for Joe Biden nominees

Marco Rubio blasts 'woke' culture. Image via Reuters.

President-elect Joe Biden should expect difficulty getting nominees through a Republican-controlled U.S. Senate, warns Sen. Marco Rubio.

Rubio told radio host Hugh Hewitt on Wednesday that given the difficulties President Donald Trump had with getting appointments through, the same likely would hold true for Democrat Biden.

“I do think that given what’s occurred in the Senate over the last four years under President Trump, there’ll be a lot less deference given to presidential appointments, because there was zero deference given to President Trump’s appointments. And one of the funny things to see is when President Trump dismisses someone who was confirmed by the Senate, but Democrats voted against, suddenly they become a hero of the Democratic Party. But when they were nominated, they were the worst person on Earth if you heard them in what they said about them,” Rubio said.

“So look, there’s no way that Biden nominations are going to be treated like they traditionally have been treated under previous presidents simply because the atmosphere in the Senate has changed, and frankly, because of the way the Democrats have just been so unfair during the Trump years on some of these nominees that they simply oppose them because the President is for them. I almost joked that the President should say I don’t want this person confirmed, nominate them and then say he’s against them so that they would support him. I mean, that’s how ridiculous it became,” Rubio added.

He noted that while “deference” may be relatively limited, that did not mean he was closed entirely to Biden nominees.

“Here’s the bottom line. Joe Biden is going to nominate people to positions if he takes office. He’ll nominate people to positions that, frankly, I would never nominate if I were President, and I wouldn’t support if I had my choice. But I do believe presidents do deserve some deference in who they nominate. Now, there are obviously things that could be disqualifying.

“And so let me just say I’m not going to make broad pronouncements about someone like Susan Rice, who I’ve had limited interaction with… but I want to know more about what it is she intends to do as Secretary of State on some key issues around the world and so forth, and look at her record,” Rubio said.

Though he’s not an automatic no on Rice to Foggy Bottom, the Senator does oppose the hypothetical possibility of “socialist” Sen. Bernie Sanders for Labor Secretary, or Sen. Elizabeth Warren “running Treasury or anything of that nature.”