Now she tells us: Ernst finds "garbage" tweets disqualifying

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst has voted against seven of President Joe Biden’s nominees so far: Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, United Nations Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.

This week the junior Iowa senator announced her opposition to another Biden pick: Colin Kahl for undersecretary of defense for policy. Kahl’s more than qualified for the position. The sticking point for Ernst and many of her Republican colleagues was a surprising one for anyone familiar with former President Donald Trump’s social media presence.

Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, set the tone early in Kahl’s March 4 confirmation hearing. Inhofe raised concerns not only about Kahl’s foreign policy views but also about his “hyper-partisanship.”

Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas quoted tweets in which Kahl had sharply criticized Trump and his Republican enablers. “I fear your intemperate manner will create an equally toxic environment inside the Pentagon,” Cotton said piously, wondering how Kahl could he do the job he’s nominated for, “having so deeply poisoned the well.”

Read more: https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2021/03/06/now-she-tells-us-ernst-finds-garbage-tweets-disqualifying/