Posted by Keturah Hetrick on Nov. 21, 2016
Republicans in Congress have remained largely silent on President-elect Donald Trump's early proposed appointees who aren't coming from the Hill, according to a LegiStorm analysis of Member press releases and tweets.
Though most Democratic members of Congress have spoken out against Steve Bannon, Republicans have shied away from the debate, with two notable exceptions: Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and Billy Long (R-Mo.) both tweeted their support of the future chief White House strategist and senior counselor.
And while 21 Democrats have spoken out against retired Army Lt. General Michael Flynn so far, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) have been the only Republican members to voice support for Trump's proposed national security adviser via press release, with no support coming via Twitter.
But conservatives in Congress didn't stay quiet on two of their own, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Trump's proposed attorney general, and Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), up for the position of CIA director.
Eighteen senators and eight Republican congressmen published press releases in favor of Sessions' appointment, while seven Republicans expressed support for Pompeo. Only Justin Amash (R-Mich.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) took to Twitter to express dissenting opinions, with Amash voicing "[deep concern]" about Sessions' appointment and Paul questioning Pompeo's stance on torture and mass surveillance.
