Rep. Matt Gaetz, one of Congress’ most fanatical loyalists of Donald Trump for most of the last decade, was Trump’s surprise choice of attorney general on Wednesday. Gaetz also suddenly resigned his seat in Congress ahead of a Friday vote to release a possibly damning report related to the long-running House Ethics Committee investigation into possible sexual misconduct by Gaetz.
The initial reports on Thursday were that House Republicans had laughed at the news of Gaetz’s nomination.
Republican senators not eager to talk about Matt Gaetz with CNN reporter Manu Raju pic.twitter.com/MaAa6X7y0F
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 14, 2024
“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for attorney general. We need to have a serious attorney general,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) told reporters. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to consider somebody that is serious.”
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Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) also expressed shock, and predicted an FBI background check would be conducted into Gaetz’s past.
Meanwhile, CNN’s Congressional correspondent Manu Raju reported that “this is going to be a rocky road to confirmation because a lot of Republicans are concerned about a number of things that Matt Gaetz has said or done over the years.”
CNN also aired a montage of GOP senators dodging questions about the Gaetz nomination and also reported that the news of Gaetz’s nomination was greeted with “audible gasps” among Senate Republicans.
In the montage, one senator says he’s not able to hear Raju’s questions, while Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) “we’ll find out, won’t we?” when asked if he thinks Gaetz is confirmation. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) merely said “Happy Thanksgiving,” albeit a couple of weeks early.
And Raju added that Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the newly-elected Senate Majority Leader for the next Congress, indicated that this will be “an advise-and-consent process.” President-Elect Trump has asked the Senate to allow him the ability to make recess appointments, which would imply a lack of confirmation hearings.
Meanwhile, a writer for the conservative National Review wrote Wednesday night that Gaetz “cannot be allowed to become attorney general.”
Matt Gaetz cannot be Attorney General – and he almost certainly will not.
I unload the nukes tonight at @NRO: https://t.co/7HDaicFwEv
— Jeff Blehar is *BOX OFFICE POISON* (@EsotericCD) November 14, 2024
“The most obvious reason that Matt Gaetz should not, and cannot, become attorney general of the United States is that he is quite likely a statutory rapist. And a proudly boastful one at that. This is not an exaggeration,” Jeffrey Blehar writes for National Review.
Photo courtesy of Political Tribune media library.
