Kevin Cramer

Kelly Armstrong on Sunday assumed office as the 34th governor in the 135-year history of North Dakota.

Fallen trees and debris are seen on the Blue Ridge Parkway in October after Hurricane Helene.

Kristi Noem, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Homeland Security secretary, arrives for a meeting with Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., on Tuesday.

Hegseth's ability to win confirmation by the Senate is in doubt as he faces questions over allegations of excessive drinking, sexual assault and his views on women in combat.

'Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep,' Trump said in a Friday statement.

Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma said on Sunday that he doesn't believe the woman who accused Trump's secretary of defense nominee of sexual assault.Fox News host Pete Hegseth, whom Trump tapped to head the DOD, was accused of rape in 2017 by a woman who attended a Republican women event in California. Her accusations are detailed in a 22-page police report, which Trump’s team allegedly did not know about before Trump tapped Hegseth for a Cabinet role. “He wasn’t charged. He wasn’t even kind of charged in this. There was no crime committed. The police dropped everything there," Mullin told CNN's Dana Bash of the rape allegation against Pete Hegseth. “What’s unfortunate, in today’s world, you can be accused of anything, and then, especially if it’s something like this, you’re automatically assumed to be guilty,” Mullin added.xDANA BASH: You believe Hegseth's part of the story, and not her's?MARKWAYNE MULLIN: Absolutely. pic.twitter.com/QxH05GSQwD— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 24, 2024While it’s true Hegseth wasn't charged after the police report was filed, that doesn’t necessarily clear him of wrongdoing.Prosecutors may not have believed there was enough evidence to prove the allegation beyond a reasonable doubt—something that happens often in rape cases as they are often based on competing accounts from the accuser and the accused.“Out of every 1000 instances of rape, only 13 cases get referred to a prosecutor, and only 7 cases will lead to a felony conviction,” according to the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network.What’s more, Hegseth paid the accuser off to keep quiet about her allegations, which Hegseth reportedly feared could have cost him his Fox News gig.

Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), who was rumored to be on Trump’s shortlist to serve as Treasury secretary, said most American’s “don’t care” whether Trump uses the FBI to vet his nominees, something fellow Republican senators have demanded. Hagerty argued over the weekend that it doesn’t make a difference to most Americans whether the FBI or [...]

Senate Republicans derailed President-elect Donald Trump’s first jaw-dropping pick for attorney general, Matt Gaetz. But it’s unclear if they will be able to block any other controversial nominees despite skepticism from some rank-and-file Republicans.In the weeks since Trump’s dramatic election victory, the power struggle between the president-elect and independent-minded Senate Republicans has been playing out in plain view. There had been questions about whether the new Senate GOP majority would simply kowtow to Trump, the party’s most dominant figure, and toss aside its constitutional duty of advise and consent.Instead, a handful of GOP senators flexed their muscles and rejected Gaetz. Now their political resolve will be tested several more times as Trump’s frustration builds and the MAGA base demands that Republicans rally behind Trump and quickly get his team in place. Senators are getting a brief reprieve from questions about Trump’s nominees as they celebrate Thanksgiving. But when they return next week, the scrutiny will intensify and focus on a trio of Cabinet picks who are raising alarm bells on Capitol Hill and beyond: Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence; Pete Hegseth for defense secretary; and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health and human services secretary.Trump appointments and nomineesHere are some of the people that President-elect Donald Trump has named for high-profile positions in his administration. Positions in orange require Senate confirmation.var pymParent = new pym.Parent('trump-admin', 'https://media.nbcnewyork.com/assets/editorial/national/2024/trump-admin-noms/index.html', {title: '', parenturlparam: '', parenturlvalue: ''});Source: NBC NewsWith the media spotlight off Gaetz, some Republican senators conceded that Trump’s other embattled picks will now be under the microscope. Hegseth, for example, is facing questions about a 2017 incident where a woman told police he took her phone and blocked her from leaving his hotel room before sexually assaulting her. Hegseth was not charged and has denied the allegations while confirming he paid the accuser in a confidential settlement, but the issue has come up in his meetings with Armed Services Committee members whose votes he will need.“Well, it’s a pretty big problem, given that we have ... a sexual assault problem in our military,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., who added that he backed bipartisan legislation by Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., to prevent sexual assault in the military.“This is why you have background checks, this is why you have hearings, this is why you have to go through the scrutiny,” Cramer continued. “I’m not going to pre-judge him, but yeah, it’s a pretty concerning accusation.”Political capitalBefore Gaetz withdrew his name, Cramer had warned that the Trump transition team was at risk of spending too much “political capital” fighting for a doomed Cabinet pick before the party even begins tackling its 2025 legislative agenda. The former Florida congressman had too much baggage, Cramer and others said — stemming from a yearslong sexual misconduct ethics probe and Gaetz’s successful campaign to topple GOP Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year — to win the 51 votes needed to be confirmed as the nation’s top law enforcement official.Republicans will control 53 seats in the new Senate, meaning they can only afford three GOP defections on any vote to confirm a nominee or pass legislation with Vice President JD Vance serving as the tie-breaker.Rather than drag out the fight for several more weeks, Gaetz dropped out of contention Thursday, paving the way for Trump to name former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to lead the Justice Department. The Bondi choice was cheered by Republicans, and she is expected to have a much easier path to confirmation.How much political capital Trump is willing to burn on other picks with baggage of their own is still an open question. Some Senate Republicans who leveled some of the strongest criticism at Gaetz said they could live with Hegseth, despite the 2017 assault allegations.“He wasn’t charged. He wasn’t even kind of charged in this. There was no crime committed. The police dropped everything there. ...” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., a Trump ally and vocal Gaetz critic, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday. “And so that doesn’t prevent Pete from moving forward in this.”Potential red flagsKennedy and Gabbard have their own past controversies that could become red flags for senators. Kennedy, whom Trump picked to be one of his top health officials, has made numerous false or misleading claims about vaccines, fluoride, raw milk and other things that would come under his purview if confirmed. As HHS secretary, Kennedy would oversee 13 federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health.Asked about RFK Jr’s position on vaccines, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, a member of the Senate Health committee that will host Kennedy’s confirmation hearing, told reporters that “as a parent” she would continue to advocate for the “benefits of modern medicine.”​​Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., a close Trump ally, said on Fox News on Sunday he’s done an “unofficial whip count” on RFK, adding that he’s heard concerns but felt assured that the soon-to-be HHS nominee should be “confirmed quite easily.”Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman who changed parties and endorsed Trump, has faced scrutiny by Democrats — as well as some Republicans — for making positive comments about Russia and meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2017. “I think she’s compromised ... Russian-controlled media called her a Russian asset,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a decorated Iraq War veteran and Armed Services member, said on CNN Sunday. She added that she didn’t think Gabbard could pass an FBI background check.Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., shot back on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” labeling Duckworth’s insults about Gabbard “a slur.” “There’s no evidence that she’s an asset of another country,” he said. In a statement, Trump communications director Steven Cheung said, “President Trump is nominating high-caliber and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his Administration.”No vettingFBI background checks are typically conducted on executive branch nominees and appointees. But the Trump team has yet to submit any of his picks for such vetting.On Sunday, Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., defended the move, saying Americans do not care about who conducts the vetting process.“I don’t think the American public cares who does the background checks. What the American public cares about is to see the mandate that they voted in delivered upon,” Hagerty, Trump’s former ambassador to Japan, said on ABC’s “This Week.”Democrats say that FBI background checks may save Trump and his team a lot of hassle and embarrassment. “He may have still decided to nominate Matt Gaetz, but if they did a thorough vetting, he may have decided not to,” Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.“That vetting process, having the FBI review potential nominees, is not only to protect the public interests, it’s to protect the president-elect’s interests, to make sure that he’s not embarrassed by nominating someone like Matt Gaetz.”Gabe Gutierrez, Ryan Nobles, Julie Tsirkin, Kate Santaliz and Hallie Jackson contributed.This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:Senator introduces bill to compel more transparency from AI developersTop federal prosecutor in New York announces resignationGOP senator argues Americans ‘don’t care’ who conducts background checks for Trump Cabinet picks

Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation Chairman Mark Fox called Burgum’s nomination for secretary of the Interior and National Energy Council chair a “match made in heaven” for state tribes.

Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty suggested that Americans don't care about traditional FBI background checks for President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks as Democrats call for deeper vetting of executive branch nominees.

Republicans seem relieved they won't have to vote on whether Gaetz should be attorney general.

Earlier, Gaetz launched an effort to personally secure his embattled nomination, meeting with Republican senators behind closed doors.

Gaetz met for hours behind closed doors Wednesday with Republican senators who have questions about the sexual misconduct and other allegations against him.

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) weighs in on the impact of the House Ethics report on the expected attorney-general nomination of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and the role it might play in the Senate’s advice and consent. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin addresses the nuclear threat from Russian President Putin in an exclusive sit-down with NBC News. Chuck Todd examines President-elect Trump’s Cabinet picks.

Sen. John Thune has won an internal election among Republican senators to become the chamber’s next majority leader.

'Thune defeated Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn'

As Republicans gain control of the Senate majority, multiple senators are fighting for votes for majority leader after the 2024 election.

Senate Republicans will meet behind closed doors to elect a new leader, capping a battle that has divided the party and pitted a candidate backed by vocal MAGA allies of President-elect Donald Trump against two long-serving senators with institutional knowledge and deep relationships in the body.

Senate Republicans selected Sen. John Thune of South Dakota to be their leader in the next Congress, three sources with knowledge said, replacing longtime leader Mitch McConnell who is stepping down from the top job after a record 18 years.Thune, the Senate Republican whip, ran against two other senators for leader: John Cornyn of Texas, a former whip and Rick Scott of Florida, an underdog candidate who just won a second term.The senators met behind closed doors Wednesday to vote by secret ballot, capping a battle that divided the party and pitted Scott, a candidate backed by vocal MAGA allies of President-elect Donald Trump, against two long-serving senators with institutional knowledge and deep relationships in the body.After a first round of balloting, Scott was eliminated, two sources with direct knowledge of the vote told NBC News. The race came down to Thune and Cornyn on the second ballot.Senate Republicans held a candidate forum Tuesday evening after Congress returned from a lengthy recess.The secret ballot election began Wednesday morning with incumbent and newly elected senators able to vote. Only a handful of members said how they would vote, with most holding their cards close to the vest.The winner will be majority leader for the next two years after Republicans won control of the Senate in the elections. The victor will replace Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who is stepping down from party leadership after an 18-year tenure that made him the longest-serving leader in Senate history.Thune and Cornyn, who were first elected during George W. Bush’s presidency, hail from an institutionalist wing of the GOP and have climbed their way up the ladder. Both have long-standing relationships within the conference and can claim to be next in line, with each having served as the No. 2 Republican for six years.Before the vote, Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-S.D., said he was supporting Thune but admitted there’s “very little” difference between him and Cornyn. “Although Cornyn told me yesterday ... people are saying they’re a mirror image of each other. To which I say, I think John Thune would take offense to that,” Cramer said.Colleagues viewed Scott, first elected in 2018, as a more divisive figure, and he has been a vocal critic of McConnell for years. He aligned himself solidly with the party’s MAGA wing and had secured some endorsements for the job from Trump allies, including right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson, billionaire benefactor Elon Musk and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.“I think I’m uniquely positioned to really help get the Trump agenda done. ... I’m optimistic I’m going to win. I’m talking about the things that people say they care about, and so we’ll see,” Scott told NBC News on Tuesday.But Trump, notably, didn’t weigh in. His ability to anoint his chosen leader was complicated by the secret ballot, which means he won’t know which senators voted against his preferred candidate — or be able to politically punish them.All three candidates ran on promises to carry out Trump’s agenda, a clear point of agreement among them.Thune and Cornyn also touted their fundraising prowess and donations to help colleagues win elections.“As Congress returns to Washington, we must prepare the Senate to advance [Trump’s] agenda legislatively and ensure that the president-elect can hit the ground running with his appointees confirmed as soon as possible,” Thune wrote in an op-ed for FoxNews.com. “The Senate Republican majority will work with President Trump to ensure the Senate calendar allows us to confirm his nominees and pass our shared agenda as quickly and as efficiently as possible.”In a letter to fellow Senate Republicans on Tuesday, Cornyn wrote, “In order to Make America Great Again, we must Make the Senate Work Again,” and he promised to decentralize power.“To that end, we will reinvest in a Senate committee process to drive an aggressive legislative agenda that secures our border, reduces federal spending, boosts our economy, unleashes the nation’s energy potential, and reverses bad Biden-Harris policies,” Cornyn continued. “Our default position for legislation considered on the floor will be an open amendment process managed by the committee chairs to allow for amendments and increase debate.”As part of the leadership shakeup, Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming is also running unopposed for the No. 2 position of majority whip. And the No. 3 slot features a battle between Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Joni Ernst of Iowa.Asked about Cotton’s team exuding confidence that he has the votes, Ernst said she’s not so sure.“Kamala Harris thought she had the votes, too,” Ernst said.This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:Trump thanks Biden for ‘smooth transition’ in White House meetingTrump endorses Mike Johnson for speaker in meeting with House RepublicansSpecial counsel Jack Smith and his team to resign before Trump takes office

Senate Republicans met on Tuesday night to hear from the three candidates to succeed Mitch McConnell, and Rick Scott left with two new endorsements.

'Ten GOP members have endorsed a candidate so far'

The Senate majority leader had not extended invitations to two candidates in close races.

A Republican U.S. senator from North Dakota who ousted a Democrat in 2018 is now facing a Democrat challenger making her second Senate bid

Bill allowing 25,000 into country should be common sense and an easy political lift

The GOP presidential nominee's pitches to working-class voters — including capping credit card interest rates — aren't convincing members of his party on Capitol Hill.

Senate Republicans are letting the air out on House Republican efforts to pump up a partisan standoff over federal funding, which they fear could risk an embarrassing government shutdown a few weeks before Election Day. With the prospect of a Senate Republican majority in 2025 tantalizingly close, GOP senators don’t want to let a proposal [...]

A bipartisan group of senators is demanding immediate action from USDA Secretary Thomas Vilsack after several tribal nations reported that a federal food distribution program they rely on has not fulfilled orders for months, and in some cases has delivered expired food.

Kristen Welker anchors Meet the Press NOW live from Milwaukee on the final day of the Republican National Convention. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) discuss their expectations for former President Donald Trump's address. NBC News Chief Political Analyst Chuck Todd breaks down calls for President Biden to step down amid growing pressure inside the Democratic Party. NBC News Campaign Embed Alex Tabet looks at the sights and sounds of the convention.

MILWAUKEE — Republicans find themselves in a somewhat unusual position: Fully in sync, while Democrats hash out a major internal disagreement in public. It’s been a remarkable split-screen playing out this week. Republicans are gathered in Wisconsin, unified and energized behind former President Trump’s candidacy, while Democrats are in open disagreement over whether President Biden [...]

MILWAUKEE — Republicans find themselves in a somewhat unusual position: Fully in sync, while Democrats hash out a major internal disagreement in public. It’s been a remarkable split-screen playing out this week. Republicans are gathered in Wisconsin, unified and energized behind former President Trump’s candidacy, while Democrats are in open disagreement over whether President Biden [...]

MILWAUKEE — Republicans find themselves in a somewhat unusual position: Fully in sync, while Democrats hash out a major internal disagreement in public. It’s been a remarkable split-screen playing out this week. Republicans are gathered in Wisconsin, unified and energized behind former President Trump’s candidacy, while Democrats are in open disagreement over whether President Biden [...]

MILWAUKEE — Republicans find themselves in a somewhat unusual position: Fully in sync, while Democrats hash out a major internal disagreement in public. It’s been a remarkable split-screen playing out this week. Republicans are gathered in Wisconsin, unified and energized behind former President Trump’s candidacy, while Democrats are in open disagreement over whether President Biden [...]

MILWAUKEE — Republicans find themselves in a somewhat unusual position: Fully in sync, while Democrats hash out a major internal disagreement in public. It’s been a remarkable split-screen playing out this week. Republicans are gathered in Wisconsin, unified and energized behind former President Trump’s candidacy, while Democrats are in open disagreement over whether President Biden [...]

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., says the Secret Service provided little information to senators and did not take more than four questions, with no follow ups, at a briefing.

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) talks to Kristen Welker about a confrontation at the Republican National Convention between the Secret Service director and a group of Republican senators.

Angry GOP lawmakers confronted Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday evening.The big picture: Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) posted video to X of her confronting Cheatle as the federal agency has been under intense scrutiny after the assassination attempt on former President Trump. 🚨FULL VIDEO: Secret Service Director REFUSES to answer to the American people. pic.twitter.com/MPVOke5zhY— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) July 18, 2024Republican senators were already fuming about the lack of answers following their briefing with Cheatle earlier Wednesday, a GOP aide said. Once they found out she was at the RNC, Blackburn and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) organized a group to ask her questions in a suite at the RNC. She refused to answer and left.Also seen confronting Cheatle were Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.).Zoom in: Senate Republican Conference Chair Barrasso said in a video shared with Axios that he and Blackburn "went face to face" with the Secret Service chief to seek answers on what happened at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally with GOP nominee Trump.Specifically, they wanted answers on "how that shooter was able to get off a clear shot when the FBI and the Secret Service knew that there was a suspicious person an hour in advance of when the shooting occurred and they identified a potential threat," he said, in reference to reports that emerged Wednesday.Blackburn said that Cheatle "would not answer our questions and wanted to say it was not the time nor place."This is after we've been through a conference call today. ... She can run but she cannot hide because the American people want to know how an assassination attempt was carried out on former President Donald Trump," Blackburn added.State of play: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called for Cheatle's resignation and announced plans for a bipartisan task force to investigate Saturday's shooting.Cheatle told House lawmakers earlier Wednesday that the agency "failed" at its "no-fail mission" to protect GOP nominee Trump at Saturday's rally shooting in Pennsylvania that left one spectator dead. Both Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) called for Cheatle's resignation following the briefing.Lee criticized both Cheatle and the Biden administration in a series of posts to X, including one that asked "why hold the briefing if they weren't going to tell us anything?"What they're saying: A USSS spokesperson said early Thursday that continuity of operations was "paramount during a critical incident" and Cheatle "has no intentions" of stepping down. "She deeply respects members of Congress and is fiercely committed to transparency in leading the Secret Service through the internal investigation and strengthening the agency through lessons learned in these important internal and external reviews," the spokesperson added in the emailed statement.More from Axios: Donald Trump Jr. at RNC: "America is Trump tough"In photos: Trump bandage "newest fashion trend' at RNCTrump's granddaughter speaks to the GOP nominee's softer sideVance repeatedly name checks Rust Belt in VP acceptance speechEditor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Multiple Republican senators confronted Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle about the attempted assassination of former President Trump on Wednesday.