Dem
47
GOP
53
Another Saturday Night Massacre, that is. Speaking of Matt Gaetz, he was tapped to be Donald Trump's Attorney General for one reason, and one reason alone: Trump thinks that the now-former representative will follow any order, no matter how unethical or illegal, and thus will do the things that even Richard Nixon's Justice Department underlings refused to do.
Because Gaetz' selection is so... questionable, for lack of a better term, he got nearly as much attention yesterday as RFK Jr. did, despite the fact that Gaetz' appointment was actually announced Wednesday. There are really three different storylines worth noting. The first of those is that Trump chose Gaetz without bothering to walk the 20 feet to the office next door to his, so he could run the pick by incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. True, 20 feet is right at the upper limit of Trump's range, but you'd think he'd at least pick up a phone and give Wiles a heads-up. This certainly does nothing for hopes that she would act as a moderating force once Trump retakes power.
Second, it looks more and more like Gaetz' premature resignation was designed to forestall the release of the report on him being compiled by the House Ethics Committee. The members of the committee were scheduled to meet this week for a discussion of next steps, and reportedly have now canceled that meeting. That said, the report might not stay secret, despite Gaetz' maneuvering. After all, these things have a way of leaking out, particularly when the leak would serve to embarrass Donald Trump. Perhaps more importantly, a sizable number of Republican senators have already made clear that they want to know what's in the report before they consider confirming Gaetz as attorney general. It certainly seems like there's something very damning in there, and the members of the red team don't want to get caught with egg on their faces if they confirm Gaetz and THEN some really bad dirt comes out. Lest we forget, this is a man who's been investigated for statutory rape.
And the Republicans' reticence brings us to the third storyline of the day. A not insignificant number of Republicans have been willing to publicly express, or at least hint at, their unhappiness with the nomination. Among them:
Susan Collins (ME): "I was shocked at the nomination."
Lisa Murkowski (AK): "I do not see him as a serious candidate."
Lindsey Graham (SC): "[Gaetz] will have some tough questions to answer."
Kevin Cramer (ND): "I have concerns that he can't get across the finish line, and we're gonna spend a lot of political capital... on something that, even if they got done, you'd have to wonder if it was worth it."
Markwayne Mullin (OK): "There's a lot of questions that are going to be out there. He's got to answer those questions."
Thom Tillis (NC): "I've got very few skills. Vote-counting is one. I think he's got a lot of work to do to get 50."
In addition, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) refused to commit to voting for Gaetz, while Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) was stunned when reporters broke the news to him, and could not come up with a response of any sort.
The message here could not be more clear. When senators say things like this to reporters, they are really speaking to an audience of one. And their message for that audience of one is: "You really should withdraw this nomination, because it's likely going to fail." The Wall Street Journal confirms that, in case there was any doubt, reporting: "People familiar with discussions among Senate Republicans said that far more than three of them are prepared to vote no if the matter comes to a vote, and some said there was already talk of trying to convince Trump to pull the nominee, or for Gaetz to voluntarily withdraw his name."
So, get your popcorn ready, because this could get very interesting. (Z)