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Senate Republicans are calling for expedited confirmation of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration appointments, particularly those to key national security positions, in the wake of the New Year’s Eve attack in New Orleans, where a terror suspect drove a car into a large crowd, killing more than a dozen people.
“Our hearts go out to all those affected by the senseless terrorist attack in New Orleans,” incoming Senate Republican Leader John Thune, RSD, told X.
“With reports of ISIS inspiration, the American people expect clear answers from the administration,” Thune said. “The threat posed by ISIS will outlast this administration, and this is a clear example of why the Senate must bring President Trump’s national security team to task as soon as possible.”
The FBI said the holiday attack left at least 14 dead and dozens more injured. Israel revealed that two of its citizens were among the wounded. The names of the victims will not be released until autopsies are completed and families are notified, New Orleans Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna said in a statement.
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From left: Kash Patel, Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard (Reuters)
Senate Republicans were already eager to quickly push Trump’s picks, including Kash Patel for FBI director, Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Pete Hegseth for defense secretary. But with the latest attack and others in development around the country, many lawmakers have indicated that a speedy confirmation process is even more crucial.
Incoming Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., wrote on X: “The US Senate must confirm President Trump’s national security team as soon as possible. Lives depend on it.” .
Thune will be sworn in as Senate Majority Leader on Friday. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)
“I will work to ensure that President Trump has all the tools at his disposal, including a fully vested intelligence and national security team as soon as possible to investigate these attacks and make our country safe again ” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said in response to the attack.
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., echoed that sentiment in her own statement, saying, “We must work around the clock to get President Trump’s national security team in place without delay”.
Several other Republicans made similar calls for Trump’s picks for national security posts to be prioritized and confirmed without hesitation.
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New Orleans police and federal agents are investigating a suspected terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on New Year’s Day. (Chris Granger/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.expressed frustration that the FBI was apparently behind on information about the suspect in the New Orleans attack.
“The fact that a reporter has better information than the FBI tells us all we need to know. The FBI has failed in its basic mission,” the senator wrote to X in response to a report that reporters at the New York Post had arrived at the suspect’s home. before the agency.
“America needs a fearless fighter like (Patel) in the FBI,” Blackburn continued.
Blackburn is a leading supporter of Trump’s pick, Kash Patel, for FBI director. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images/File)
Two sources on an FBI call with members of the House and Senate told Fox News on Thursday that the FBI claimed it had no information about suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar before the attack.
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The FBI told lawmakers that Jabbar was “inspired” by ISIS, but added that they still have no evidence that the terrorist group directed him.
