Cornyn spokesman: Neera Tanden has 'zero chance of being confirmed' as Biden's OMB director

Joe Biden on Monday announced that he would nominate Neera Tanden, president of the liberal Center for American Progress, as his choice to head up the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) quickly said through a spokesman that Tanden "stands zero chance of being confirmed."

Cornyn spokesman Drew Brandewie said Tanden's past history of "disparaging comments about the Republican Senators' whose votes she'll need" will make her confirmation highly unlikely should the GOP retain control of the chamber. The makeup now is 50 Republicans and 48 Democrats (including two independents), with two seats up for grabs in Georgia on Jan. 5.

She "stands zero chance of being confirmed," he added.

The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Tanden would be Biden's pick to lead the OMB. She was a top ally of the 2016 Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton.

Tanden has drawn fire from the progressive wing of her own party. She is "a woman who is openly disdainful of Bernie Sanders and his coalition, but who is friendly with extreme bigots online," said Brianna Joy Gray, former press secretary for Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. "Everything toxic about the corporate Democratic Party is embodied in Neera Tanden."

But not all progressives object to Tanden. Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich said Tanden is "committed to full employment, boosting wages, reducing inequality." Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) called her "smart, experienced, and qualified," while Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) called her a "great choice" to "bring the experience and humanity urgently needed in this position," according to USA Today. 

Tanden has posted 87,000 tweets since joining Twitter in March 2010, the paper reported. "By comparison, President Donald Trump has posted nearly 59,000 tweets since joining Twitter a year before Tanden."

Reports emerged Monday that Tanden spread baseless conspiracy theories after the 2016 election insisting that Clinton lost to President Trump because of Russian hackers.

"In a series of tweets, some still online Monday, Tanden claimed the 'Russians did enough damage to affect more than 70k votes in 3 states,' referring to Clinton's losing margin in the Rust Belt states of Michigan and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin," The New York Post reported.

In another tweet, Tanden reportedly wrote, "Why would hackers hack in unless they could change results? What's the point?" adding that "Trump was as surprised as everyone else" to win the election.

Others, too, said Tanden has little chance of winning GOP votes.

"Watching @neeratanden delete all her negative tweets about Republican Senators is hilarious. Her nomination is already a funeral," Garrett Ventry, a former press spokesman for Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), wrote on Twitter: