President-elect Donald Trump has picked "people who are disrupters" to serve in his administration, and he will do his best to get them approved, former Sen. Rick Santorum said on Newsmax Sunday.
"I'm fairly impressed with the group he's picked," Santorum told Newsmax's "Sunday Report." "I think he's picked people who are disrupters in positions that need disruption."
Some picks, like Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, aren't necessarily disrupters, because someone in that position should not be acting in that manner, but other departments, such as Health and Human Services "need some disruption,' said Santorum.
"I would argue that the Justice Department does too," Santorum added. "Whether those appointments, particularly the last two, will be successful is another matter."
But still, Trump is sending a clear message about how he wants to shake up Washington, D.C., he said.
"I think he realized eight years ago when he came in, he really didn't know how to do that, but now, after four years of being a president, he understands he has the people that can do it, and he's going to do his best to get them through," said Santorum.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., who has been picked as the new Senate majority leader, will also work to get Trump's appointments through, as "he is not Mitch McConnell," the former senator said.
"Mitch was a little prickly at times with President Trump, but you won't see that from John Thune," Santorum said. "He's very much a team player and will do his best to try to push through what Donald Trump wants. That doesn't necessarily mean he's going to be a pushover. He has, I think, been very clear about maintaining the prohibition on recess appointments in the Senate."
The Senate, he added, "has a prerogative to confirm nominations and they're not going to give that up just because Donald Trump asks them to."
Trump's pick for energy secretary, Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright, will also play a vital role in the administration once approved, said Santorum.
"The Energy Department is the place where [Joe] Biden put all of his Green New Deal stuff," he said. "I'm sure one of the first things he's going to do is how they can peel back a lot of those giveaway programs for green energy.
The Energy Department also has an obligation to oversee and manage nuclear power, said Santorum, adding that he hopes that it is assertive to create an avenue in that sector, as nuclear power and fossil fuels will be needed.
"There is a big problem in this country with all of this bitcoin mining, the electric vehicles," he said. "There's going to be a huge demand increase for power, and there just is not a plan in place."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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