McConnell Says He Would Hold Floor Votes for Biden’s Nominees: Report

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) speaks to the media following the weekly Senate Republican lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 10, 2020. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he would grant floor votes for Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees, should Republicans retain control of the Senate majority.

“[Biden’s nominees] aren’t all going to pass on a voice vote, and they aren’t all going to make it, but I will put them on the floor,” he told Scott Jennings, an opinion contributor for the Louisville Courier-Journal.

McConnell criticized the Democrats for treating President Donald Trump’s nominees badly and vowed he wouldn’t do the same to Biden’s nominees.

“Well, first of all, I am going to treat him a hell of a lot better than [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer ever treated Donald Trump,” he told Jennings.

McConnell’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

Several of Biden’s nominees are likely to meet Republican opposition. One is Neera Tanden, a Democratic operative who was nominated as the director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget. Biden’s nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, may also have a hard time getting through the Senate because of his pro-abortion record.

Some other potential nominees also aren’t likely to see friendly treatment. Among them may be Bob Iger, the chairman of Walt Disney Co. and Biden’s potential pick for the position of China ambassador, who could be challenged for his close ties with China. Biden’s pick for national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, also has expressed support for abandoning Taiwan in exchange for writing off Chinese-held U.S. debt.

Tony Blinken, Biden’s potential pick for secretary of state, could face a rough reception by Senate Republicans over his globalist background.

McConnell, a top Republican and former Trump ally, said on Dec. 15 during a floor speech that Biden won the presidential contest even amid allegations of election fraud and other irregularities. Meanwhile, the Trump campaign has several pending legal cases in battleground states challenging the election results.

“I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden,” he said as he opened the Senate. “Our system of government has the processes to determine who will be sworn in on Jan. 20. The Electoral College has spoken.”

Trump hasn’t conceded, and The Epoch Times will not declare a winner of the 2020 presidential election until all legal challenges are resolved.

After McConnell’s remarks, Trump called on him to keep fighting.

“Mitch, 75,000,000 VOTES, a record for a sitting President (by a lot). Too soon to give up. Republican Party must finally learn to fight. People are angry!” Trump wrote on Twitter to McConnell as he posted a Daily Mail article that included critical comments about the longtime Kentucky senator.

Currently, all states have certified the November election results and the electors have cast their votes. Congress is set to count the electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021. Several U.S. House and Senate members have voiced willingness to challenge the electoral votes during the Jan. 6 meeting.

Jack Phillips contributed to the report.