Since Trump’s surprise electoral victory on November 8th, there has been much deliberation over his cabinet.  

His promises to “drain the swamp,” while earning the support of enough people to win the election, distressed some who feared that Trump would place inexperienced people in powerful positions.  Much of Trump’s cabinet, however, has turned out to be long time politicians, generals and business executives.

As Trump’s inauguration comes closer, his Cabinet appointments have come into place, with some of the most controversial appointments being Jeff Sessions  and Rick Perry.

Jeff Sessions, Trump’s pick as attorney general, is the current junior senator of Alabama, and former attorney general for southern Alabama.  

While Sessions is from a legal background, his appointment has not come without controversy, as many civil rights groups and minority leaders call foul.

Prior to his stint as senator, Sessions had been considered to become a federal judge by president Reagan, but the senate denied him over accusations of racism.

Sessions has been quoted as saying he thought the Ku Klux Klan was “Okay, until he learned that they smoked marijuana.” He also repeatedly called an African-American colleague “boy” and warned the same person to “be careful about what he said to white folks.”

Sessions has downplayed these claims, saying that they were taken out of context.  He hasn’t, however, specifically denied any of the quotes attributed to him.

The senator has failed to appease his detractors, however, as multiple civil rights groups have called for opposition to his appointment.  

The NAACP has said, “The nomination of senator Sessions is deeply troubling… [his] record suggests that he will carry on an old, ugly legacy in this country’s history when civil rights for African-Americans, women and minorities were not regarded as core American values.”

Donald Trump has announced Rick Perry as the energy secretary for his administration.  Rick Perry is the former Governor of Texas, who ran for President in 2012, and again in 2016.

Trump said he picked Perry due to his experience in producing oil and creating oil jobs as Governor of Texas.  Perry has cited his time as Governor of “the nation’s largest energy producing state,” in his qualifications for the job.

Perry, now set to be at the helm of the energy department, ironically once wanted to eliminate the department, leading to a major gaffe in a 2011 presidential debate.  This position has alarmed many experts on the Energy Department, and concern for Perry’s fitness for the job has arisen.

Critics point out that a large part of the Energy Department is focused on oversight of the U.S. stockpile nuclear weapons, such that 60% of its budget is directed towards such pursuits, and that Perry’s calls for the agency’s elimination signal a lack of knowledge of the agency.

“I think very few people understand that the Energy Department, to a very substantial degree, is dealing with nuclear weapons,” said Democratic Senator Dorgan of North Dakota, who formerly oversaw the budget of the energy department. “The Rick Perry choice is so perplexing.”

Furthermore, promoters of climate awareness and renewable energies are alarmed by the appointment of Perry, who has denied man made climate change in the past, calling it a  “contrived, phony mess.”