Even some of Donald Trump’s allies are reportedly alarmed by his latest nominees—particularly his choice of Matt Gaetz to lead the Justice Department. Gaetz, a far-right provocateur and MAGA loyalist, was already unpopular on Capitol Hill for spearheading a campaign to remove former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy over a year ago. And that was before the House Ethics Committee concluded its investigation into claims that Gaetz had sex with a minor.
Now that report—scheduled for release on Friday—may never be published. And Republican Senators are balking at the prospect of confirming the candidate that former UN ambassador John Bolton dubbed “a person of moral turpitude” and “totally incompetent.” “I’m sure it will make for a popcorn-eating confirmation hearing,” Senator Thom Tillis told the Associated Press, adding that Gaetz would have to do “a lot of work” to find the requisite 50 votes, even in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Gaetz is not the only Trump nominee to raise eyebrows among Republicans. However, it’s fair to say he’s caused the most consternation. Several senators also reacted with surprise—if not all-out bafflement—when Trump tapped Army veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense. The president-elect simultaneously nominated former Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, despite the secret trip she once took to hang out with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad while a member of Congress. And Trump’s choice of anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to head the Department of Health and Human Services has concerned even some former GOP health officials, with one saying before Trump’s announcement: “To even allude to someone who has been a known, non-science based critic of vaccines, is a disservice to the public, to parents, to the children.” Senator Susan Collins said Thursday that some of Kennedy’s statements alarmed her. “We went from some solid picks to some interesting wildcards, to some that are more than controversial, no way confirmable.”
The president-elect has appeared eager to provoke the Senate as he revs up for his second term. Matthew Bartlett, a GOP strategist, told Politico “this is Trump daring the US Senate” to defy his nominations. Over the weekend, Trump encouraged Senate Republicans to pick a new majority leader who would allow him to bypass the confirmation process—an unprecedented breach of legislative history and procedure. If the reaction to Gaetz’s nomination indicates anything, it’s that many Republicans aren’t yet willing to give that particular check-and-balance up. Several have already called on the House Ethics Committee to release the results of its recent probe into Gaetz’s conduct. On Thursday, Senator Lindsey Graham told reporters that Gaetz would “have to answer some tough questions” during the confirmation process. And Senator Lisa Murkowski said she didn’t consider Gaetz “a serious nomination.”
Gaetz’s House colleagues have been, if anything, even less generous: “Gaetz has a better shot at having dinner with Queen Elizabeth II than being confirmed by the Senate,” one Ohio Republican said. Queen Elizabeth II is, of course … dead.
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