Trump blunder opened the door for 'brutal' Cabinet hearings: GOP strategist

As part of a conversation about the chances of Fox News personality Pete Hegseth surviving long enough to get to a Senate hearing on his nomination to be Donald Trump's secretary of defense, one GOP strategist suggested the president-elect may have made a fatal error.

Speaking with MSNBC host Jonathan Lemire on "Way Too Early," Susan Del Percio claimed Trump's decision to rush out the names of his Cabinet nominations left an enormous amount of time for his critics to dig up dirt on his picks.

With Hegseth being buffeted by multiple allegations of drinking problems as well as accusations of being a sexual predator, Del Percio stated the embattled former Fox employee is an example of moving too fast.

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"We talked about Trump's appetite for risk," Lemire prompted his guest. "Some of these Cabinet selections are deeply risky, the Hegseth pick very much in doubt. How much do you think, as someone who has known Donald Trump for a long time, how much do you think he's willing to stick with this even to make it to defeat?"

"I don't think he's willing to stick it out so far that if it starts hurting his reputation," she replied before adding, "And this is where I think announcing these picks so far ahead of time has given such a long way for opposition research."

"And then eventually an FBI –– not investigation, but background check –– those things will start to take hold," she continued. "And if it starts to damage Donald Trump, especially when it comes to folks helping him on the economy, I think he's willing to back away."

"Just remember those hearings are going to be brutal for the likes of Hegseth, for the likes of [ex-Rep.] Tulsi Gabbard, for RFK Jr. So I don't think he's willing to put it all on the line just because he cares," she predicted.

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