Nikki Haley skewers controversial Trump nominees

The sudden withdrawal of former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump's embattled pick for attorney general, amid opposition from Senate Republicans marks the first major setback for Trump as he fills his Cabinet —but other high-profile nominees also appear to be facing mounting opposition from members of his own party.

In a recent episode of her SiriusXM radio show, Trump's former ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, skewered Tulsi Gabbard, the president-elect's selection for director of national intelligence, and his choice for health and human services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — blasting both nominees for their foreign policy ideologies.

Speaking about Gabbard, Haley said she had "major issues" with her candidacy and reiterated comments Gabbard has made in the past that run counter to the views of the U.S. intelligence community, including blaming NATO for the invasion of Ukraine and her decision to meet with Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in 2017.

"She has defended Russia, she has defended Syria, she has defended Iran, and she has defended China," Haley said. "DNI has to analyze real threats. Are we comfortable with someone like that at the top of our national intelligence agencies?"

In presenting her argument, Haley also emphasized various occasions in which Gabbard — a former Democratic congresswoman who ran for the party's presidential nomination in 2020 before becoming a Republican — has directly clashed with the president-elect.

"She opposed ending the Iran nuclear deal. She opposed sanctions on Iran. She opposed designating the Iran military as terrorists who say death to America every single day," Haley said. "She said that Donald Trump turned the U.S. into Saudi Arabia's prostitute. This is going to be the future head of our national intelligence."

Haley also referenced Gabbard's assertion in a 2020 interview that the Trump administration provided "no justification whatsoever" for authorizing the strike that killed Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, which Gabbard also described at the time as an "illegal and unconstitutional act of war."

"She tried to limit Trump's war powers against Iran. She tried to cut our annual defense budget so that we couldn't punish Iran and hinder their influence," Haley said.

Speaking about Kennedy, Haley said he is "not a health guy" but a "liberal Democrat" who spent his time in Washington siding with progressive policies while also criticizing his views of U.S. adversaries.

"He said he would consider admitting Russia into NATO," Haley said, an apparent reference to Kennedy's contention that Moscow should have been admitted to the alliance following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Haley also denounced Kennedy's support for thawing relations with China, which she said could have deleterious implications for American healthcare.

"During COVID, we talked about how 90% of our medications were coming from China and how dependent we are. He wants us to deescalate tensions," she said.

Haley was Trump's primary opponent in the content for the GOP's presidential nomination but endorsed him after dropping out of the race in March.

After winning the White House, the president-elect publicly announced he would not invite Haley back to serve in his second administration. But Haley, at least outwardly, has maintained a cordial relationship with Trump and brushed off the snub, insisting she made it clear she had "no interest in being in his Cabinet."

Sources tell ABC News that Gaetz bowed out of what was shaping up to be a futile confirmation battle on Thursday after it became clear to Trump's team that the former Florida lawmaker, who is facing sex trafficking and drug use allegations, had "no path" to securing 50 votes in the Republican-led Senate.

While it's not clear that either Gabbard or Kennedy face similarly long odds in the chamber, both have been lambasted by Republicans in recent days.

Former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh slammed both candidates during an interview on Sunday.

"These people have no business running these departments," he said. "This is like a revenge against Dr. Fauci when it comes to RFK Jr., but Tulsi Gabbard, the best you can say about her is she's a Putin cheerleader. That's the best you can say."

Gabbard has also attracted the ire of the "Wall Street Journal's" right-leaning editorial board, which said she has "given no indication across her long political career that she is the right person" to lead the intelligence community.

The Trump-friendly "New York Post" took aim at both Gabbard and Kennedy, calling the former congresswoman a "dreadful" pick and saying "it's hard to see" how Kennedy could lead the Department of Health and Human Services to "practical solutions."

During the confirmation process, Republicans are expected to press Kennedy, who switched his party affiliation from Democrat to independent in 2023, on a range of views — including his criticism of vaccines and history of supporting abortion rights.

But another controversial nominee, Pete Hegseth, the Fox News co-host whom Trump has tapped to lead the Pentagon, appears to be gaining GOP support.

Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma said Hegseth would be a "perfect" secretary of defense.

Hegseth is accused of committing sexual assault in 2017, and new details about the allegation emerged on Wednesday when a police report on the incident was made public. He has denied all wrongdoing and was never charged with a crime.

After Hegseth met with Republicans on Capitol Hill, several Republicans appeared poised to look past the accusations against the nominee.

"Since no charges were brought by the authorities, we have only press reports," Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi said.