Scarborough: GOP defections on DeVos show confirmation hearings matter

MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough on Thursday said the Republican defections on President Trump’s nominee to lead the Education Department, Betsy DeVos, show the importance of confirmation hearings.

“It’s only happened one time before in the past century that a president who had the majority in the Senate actually had somebody voted down,” Scarborough said on “Morning Joe.”

“I suspect in the end DeVos will probably be … confirmed, but this is evidence that confirmation hearings do matter. You show up, and if you’re ill-prepared and do a terrible job, you’re not going to just be pushed over the finish line.”

{mosads}Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) said Wednesday they would oppose DeVos.

The two became the first Republican senators to break with any of Trump’s Cabinet picks.

The defections set up a potential 50-50 vote in the Senate to confirm DeVos, with Vice President Pence breaking the tie.

It would be the first time a vice president has been the deciding vote on a nomination, and the first time a vice president has had to break a Senate tie since March 2008.