Schumer: Mattis and Kelly will have confirmation votes Friday

Published January 19, 2017 4:31pm ET



Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday that Democrats will agree to votes on Gen. James Mattis for defense secretary and Gen. John Kelly for homeland security secretary on Inauguration Day, giving President-elect Trump two Cabinet officials on his first day in office.

Schumer said a vote on Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., President-elect Trump’s choice for CIA director, would be next on Democrats list, and could possibly come Monday. A few other non-controversial nominees could see votes next week, but most of the rest he said constitute a “swamp Cabinet” whose ethical challenges and hard-right positions deserve more scrutiny before they are allowed to join the administration.

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