Nominees deserve Senate deliberation … so do we

The U.S. Capitol is where the Senate will confirm presidential nominees for a new administration. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

The New Year brings a “say so” for Nebraska U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts as the president-elect fills a new cabinet. Advising and consenting on such matters is part of Fischer’s and Ricketts’ responsibilities as members of the “world’s greatest deliberative body.”

We have neither the inclination nor the word count to argue the accuracy of such a boast, believed to have originated with President James Buchanan. The hope here, however, is that the tag rings true. That’s because at this iteration of the separation of powers, some of the president-elect’s cabinet nominees have kept the Beltway in a permanent raised eyebrow.

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U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb, addresses a business forum in Ashland as, from left, Sen. Pete Ricketts, Rep. Adrian Smith, Rep. Mike Flood and Rep. Don Bacon listen. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)

To wit: His first pick for attorney general allegedly paid for and had sex with a high schooler and bought drugs from his Congressional office, according to a House Ethics Committee report. Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who has denied wrongdoing, wisely bowed out early. Doing so saved his confirmation hearings from taking on the patina of a Caligula-themed bacchanal.

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