This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Sen. Orrin Hatch: I had previously contacted your office regarding my concerns over the new administration. In your response you said:

"As President-elect Trump fills his Cabinet, I will continue working to encourage effective leadership on behalf of our state and our nation under the new administration. The Senate plays a vital role in confirming presidential appointments to the executive branch. Throughout the confirmation process, I will fight to ensure that the president-elect's Cabinet selections have the best interests of Utah and the nation in mind."

I am now publicly holding you to that promise you made — not only to me — but to the rest of the citizens of the United States. Your job is not to rubber-stamp these appointments, your job is to ensure they are qualified to do the job. It is your job to make sure any ethical or judicial issues have been resolved, and that each one has been thoroughly vetted. That vetting has not happened, and you should not continue with these hearings until it has taken place.

This is not a partisan issue, and it never should be. Instead, this is about what is right — and what you promised.

Patty Paulsen

South Jordan