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WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined Harris Faulkner on Fox News to discuss President Trump's well-qualified nominees.

On Pete Hegseth:

"A lot of these nominees, including Pete Hegseth, have been making the rounds on the Capitol, starting with the committees of jurisdiction that will have responsibility for the confirmation process and ensure that their nominations make it eventually to the floor. And I think the nominees are doing a really nice job.

"Pete Hegseth in his conversations, I think, with members has been very compelling in terms of what he believes is necessary to put the real, you know, focus on the warfighter when it comes to the Defense Department's priorities. As you heard Susan Collins talk about, procurement reform, that's something that's important to a lot of our members.

"And you know, he's got the background. He's a combat veteran, he's obviously somebody who understands what it takes to fight battles on the ground, and I think that's a perspective that is very impressive to a lot of the members that he's had the opportunity to meet with so far and to be questioned by."

On President Trump's nominees broadly:

"I think the important thing here is President Trump needs his team in place to be able to implement his agenda. These are the people that he selected.

"I give wide latitude and wide deference to the president when he makes these selections. We have a job to do, advice and consent, and we will do it and make sure that there's a process that's fair to all these nominees."

On the director of the FBI:

"The president has nominated someone for that position who is already making the rounds and having his meetings on Capitol Hill with the senators who are going to be really relevant to his nomination process, and I think doing a nice job, again, of explaining his vision for the future of the FBI.

"These are a lot of agencies, as you know, Harris, that are desperately in need of reform, of modernization, of some house cleaning. And I think a lot of these nominees are coming forward in a way that explains how they want to go about doing that. And I think it's going to be, and you're right, the American people wanted to see change. That's why they gave President Trump the vote."

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