BY MEG KINNARD
WASHINGTON (AP) — As they mustered support for their confirmations by the U.S. Senate, some of President Donald Trump’s appointees made statements from which they’ve already distanced themselves upon taking office.
From the leadership of the FBI to vaccine schedules and Russia sanctions, here’s a look at some of those promises and the subsequent action in their own words.
Requests for comment with all four agencies on their chiefs’ remarks were not immediately returned Monday afternoon.
Kash Patel, FBI director
What he’s said: According to Natalie Bara, president of the FBI Agents Association, Patel agreed last month — before becoming FBI director — that the agency’s No. 2 position should be held by a career agent as has been tradition for the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency.
Bara wrote in an internal newsletter to members sent Feb. 23 that Patel had agreed during a January meeting with her that the FBI deputy director “should continue to be an on-board, active Special Agent as has been the case for 117 years for many compelling reasons, including operational expertise and experience, as well as the trust of our Special Agent population.”
What he’s done: Patel cheered Trump’s decision to go the opposite direction.
Later Sunday, after Bara’s internal newsletter with Patel’s comments, Trump announced in a post on his Truth Social platform that Dan Bongino, a former U.S. Secret Service agent who ran unsuccessfully for office and gained fame as a conservative pundit with TV shows and a popular podcast, had been chosen to serve as FBI deputy director.
“Tremendous news for law enforcement and the future of American justice!” Patel wrote on Feb. 24 in a social media post welcoming Bongino. “His leadership, integrity, and deep commitment to justice make him the ideal choice to help lead the FBI at this critical time. He’s a cop’s cop.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., health and human services secretary
What he’s said: During his Senate confirmation hearings, Kennedy promised Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., that he would not change the nation’s current vaccination schedule.
“I recommend that children follow the CDC schedule, and I will support the CDC schedule when I get in there if I’m fortunate enough to be confirmed,” Kennedy told senators on Jan. 30.
What he’s done: Speaking for the first time to thousands of U.S. Health and Human Services agency employee, Kennedy on Feb. 18 vowed to investigate the childhood vaccine schedule that prevents measles, polio and other dangerous diseases.
“Nothing is going to be off limits,” he said, adding that pesticides, food additives, microplastics, antidepressants and the electromagnetic waves emitted by cellphones and microwaves also would be studied.
Scott Bessent, treasury secretary
What he’s said: During his confirmation hearing, Bessent called for stronger sanctions on Russia, saying that former President Joe Biden wasn’t “muscular” enough on sanctioning Russian oil because he was too scared of driving the cost of oil up during the elections.
“I believe the previous administration was worried about raising U.S. energy prices during an election season,” he told senators on Jan. 16.
What he’s done: As Trump’s tone on Russia changed, however, Bessent said the U.S. is prepared to either ramp up or take down sanctions on Russia depending on Russia’s willingness to negotiate an end to the war.
“That’d be a very good characterization,” Bessent told Bloomberg Television on Feb. 20, in response to a question about the potential for adjustments of sanctions on Russia, in either direction. “The president is committed to ending this conflict very quickly.”
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Brooke Rollins, agriculture secretary
What she’s said: “It is one of my top four priorities on day one, putting the right team in place to ensure that what you discussed and outlined is happening,” Rollins told senators on Jan 23, in response to a question as to how she would stem the spread of avian flu.
What she’s done: In comments to agency staff, Rollins said on Feb. 14 that she was “proud to invite the Department of Government Efficiency here into USDA,” saying she welcomed the effort “with open arms.”
Four days later, the department scrambled to rehire several workers who were involved in the government’s response to the ongoing bird flu outbreak that has devastated egg and poultry farms over the past three years, but who were among the thousands of federal employees eliminated on Musk’s recommendations.
Associated Press writers Fatima Hussein and Amanda Seitz in Washington contributed reporting.
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