The Kremlin on Sunday said that U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump may not share the view of figures nominated in recent days for key Cabinet posts in his new administration.
“When nominating a candidate, Trump is probably well aware of the nature of statements and the position of a person on certain international issues. Does this mean that Trump fully agrees with their positions? I don’t think so,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview, according to Russian state news agency Tass.
Describing Trump’s process of forming a new administration as “noisy,” Peskov said those already announced included “well-known” names both for the U.S. and for Russia itself.
Peskov argued that Trump continued Washington’s policy of trying to contain Russia during his first term in the White House, which he said was first pursued under former President Barack Obama.
“Sanctions against our country were imposed 53 times under Trump. It was under Trump that Congress officially recognized our country as an adversary of the United States,” Peskov added, saying it was difficult to expect such a collapse in bilateral relations at the time as it is now.
“We see that words are one thing, but reality is always another in the United States. The deep state is focused on continuing attempts to strategically contain and suppress our country,” he also said.
He went on to say that they find it difficult to understand the goal of the person who gave information to The Washington Post earlier this month about an alleged phone conversation between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, dismissing the report as “nothing more than a canard.”
He said that Trump’s hands will likely be less tied compared to his previous term in office due to the Republican Party’s control of the both houses of Congress starting next year.
“On the other hand, we will see on Jan. 20 what the final legacy of the Democratic administration will be,” he added, referring to the date Democratic President Joe Biden leaves office and Trump is sworn in.
Several key cabinet members have gotten the nod for Trump’s second term, following on his first term from 2017-2021, including Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth, nominated for secretary of state and defense secretary, respectively.
All Cabinet members normally need Senate confirmation. Though starting next year the Senate will be controlled by the Republican Party, Trump has called on its senators to help him bypass confirmation hearings through a maneuver known as a recess appointment. This could ensure that controversial nominees never have to face tough questions from skeptical senators.
As the Republican Party over the years has more and more become Trump’s party, many observers expect most of his Cabinet nominees to easily pass the Senate.