Nikki Haley raised concerns with two of President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet nominees during her SiriusXM radio show on Wednesday.
Trump, who defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race, has unveiled a host of his cabinet picks. Some of his picks have been viewed as less conventional, drawing pushback from Democrats—and some Republicans.
Haley, who challenged Trump for the GOP presidential nomination, spoke out against Trump picking former Representative Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
While Haley said she agrees with some of Kennedy's beliefs, including that there needs to be more transparency about what is in food products, she questioned whether he has the experience to lead the department.
"He is not educated, trained or practiced in health at all. He has spent his entire career as a trial lawyer, an environmental lawyer and a liberal Democrat," she said.
Meanwhile, Haley said she has "major issues" with Gabbard's nomination. She called attention to Gabbard, a former Democrat who represented Hawaii in Congress, disagreeing with Trump's Middle East policies during his first tenure.
Gabbard frequently criticized Trump's foreign policy, including on ending the Iran nuclear deal.
"She went to Syria in 2017 for a photo-op with Bashar al-Assad while he was massacring his own people. She said she was skeptical that he was behind the chemical weapon attacks," Haley said. "Now this to me is disgusting."
Haley worked in Trump's first administration as ambassador to the United Nations. She presented herself as a more traditional conservative on the campaign trail who would be better suited to win back moderate voters. Prior to her tenure at the U.N.,
Haley was governor of South Carolina.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump-Vance transition team for comment via email.
This is a developing story that will be updated when more information becomes available.
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Andrew Stanton
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ...
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