Story highlights Democrats plan to put Trump on trial through his nominees

They're threatening to make life painful for the GOP if they move too fast on confirmations

Washington (CNN) Senate Democrats are unveiling their strategy in fighting President-elect Donald Trump's nominees to his Cabinet, even as they have little hope of blocking any of them: Show us your papers.

Democrats are maneuvering to claim the interests of the American people on their side, with a rallying cry of transparency. They're decrying a combination of quick hearings -- several key nominees will testify next week -- with what they say is a slow pace of nominees returning standard paperwork for vetting.

They want to put Trump on trial through his nominees, using the billionaires he's nominated to his Cabinet to call attention to conflicts of interest, and using conservative nominees to show how Trump has reversed course from previous campaign promises, according to aides and senators.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats want at least two days to review each nominee, full paperwork, tax returns for many of the nominees with complex financial records, and hearings spread out so members can attend as many as they want.

"There are a lot of questions about these nominees," Schumer said. "And I would like to succeed in negotiating something but we get full and fair hearings. ... There are so many issues about so many of them that to rush them through would be a disservice to the American people."

Read More