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That’s very fast.
Last Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump Shocking even his allies by nominating Representative Matt Gaetz for attorney general, Gaetz today withdrew from consideration. A day after meeting with senators on Capitol Hill
“It is clear that my confirmation is unfairly interfering with the important work of the Trump/Vance transition.” A Florida man wrote on– “There is no time to waste in needlessly protracted bickering in Washington, so I am withdrawing my name from consideration for Attorney General.” Trump’s DOJ must be ready and ready on the day. 1”
It is very common for at least one presidential nominee to withdraw at some point in the process. What’s unusual is that Gaetz’s nomination collapsed so quickly. Eight days isn’t a record, but it’s close (recall that White House physician Ronny Jackson’s nomination to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs took nearly a month to fall through). Just two days agoTrump insists he has no second thoughts about Gaetz’s selection.
Gaetz’s reasons for withdrawing are no secret and come as no surprise. He is the subject of prostitution charges. Payment for sexual services drug use and having sex with underage girls for many years Trump doesn’t seem to be taking vet Gaetz any seriously. before nominating him But all this is already known. The Justice Department investigated Gaetz for several years but in 2023 decided not to bring charges. The House Ethics Committee is still investigating him. Gaetz himself has denied any wrongdoing. The fact that Gaetz, like Trump, has a personal vendetta against the Justice Department appears to be his main credential for the job.
When Gaetz was nominated He also resigned from Congress. That stalled the House Ethics Committee investigation. Since he is no longer a member, Speaker Mike Johnson is an ally of Gaetz, although mostly conservative with Gaetz being a liberal. Disagree with releasing the work of the committee And the committee deadlocked on voting, but Gaetz’s victory is hardly complete. His nomination broke a lot of damaging new information. Including testimony about him. Had sex with a 17 year old 2 times This is despite witnesses believing that Gaetz did not know she was underage. Two women’s lawyers said they were witnesses to the house where Gaetz paid them to have sex The New York Times published An incredibly complex diagram outlining the Gaetz payment scheme fooled around and the public found out; By accepting the scrutiny that came with his nomination. Fooled and found–
But don’t cry too much for Gaetz, and not just because of his history as a cheater. (He was shunned by his colleagues in the House of Representatives. (And multiple reports say he shared a naked video of his lover on the floor of the House of Representatives.) His infamy has not prevented his rise until now. And it is believed he plans to run for governor of Florida when Ron DeSantis’ term ends.
The question is how this defeat affects Trump’s other aggressive nominees. The president-elect likes to gamble. Even though sometimes he loses. But as I argued last week, The existence of many feature-free options may make it easier for some people to get past them. In the end The Senate can Don’t reject them all, right?
Gaetz’s quick departure shows that Senate Republicans are unwilling to accept whoever Trump throws their way. And the fact that they were able to send that message so quickly shows how deep their reservations were. If rejection is a sign of weakness for Trump The refusal was also a signal for his vice president-elect. That was Senator J.D. Vance yesterday. Vance was given the difficult task of calling Getz around. Senate office to support Which obviously did not go well.
Gaetz’s failure doesn’t mean senators will reject other options, but with Gaetz out of the way, Pete Hegseth’s controversial nomination to lead the Pentagon will gain more attention. A police report into sexual assault allegations against Hegseth dating back to 2017 was released today and It was stomach-churning reading.-Alternatively, Gaetz may seem like a martyr to help others. Or, like a horse tracking Trump to appoint someone else at DOJ, it seems unlikely that Trump intended either—he doesn’t usually play to lose—but that could be a consequence.
Before Trump chose Gaetz, he reportedly concluded that other contenders didn’t have what he wanted in the attorney general position. The New York Times– Now he will have to reverse his program to select someone who has one thing Gaetz clearly lacks: the ability to be confirmed.
