Former President Trump shocked and appalled some Republican lawmakers on Wednesday by announcing plans to nominate Rep.Ā Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for attorney general.
Why it matters:Ā Republican reaction to even Trumpās most controversial nominations has been muted so far, but placing the scandal-prone right-winger in the nationās highest law enforcement role is a step too far for many.
āWe wanted him out of the House ā¦ this isnāt what we were thinking,ā quipped one House Republican, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak frankly about Trumpās decision.
What weāre hearing:Ā Trumpās announcement was met with audible gasps by House Republicans during a conference meeting on Wednesday afternoon, multiple sources in the room told Axios.
One House Republican in the meeting described the conferenceās response as āstunned and disgusted.ā
What theyāre saying:Ā āGaetz has a better shot at having dinner with Queen Elizabeth II than being confirmed by the senate,ā said Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), referring to the British monarch whoĀ died in 2022.
Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.), noting that Gaetz isĀ under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, said he would be āa compromised AGā and that āthere are better choices.ā
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she was āshockedā by the pick: āThis shows why the advice and consent process is so important and Iām sure that there will be a lot of questions raised at his hearing.ā
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said Gaetz has āgot his work really cut out for himā to get confirmed.
Theyāre not going to cast votes. This will all be done with recess appointments, and all of these āconcernedā senators will āexpress their concernsā with the exploitation of the recess appointment process and lament that there was nothing they could do about it.
They had really hoped that Mr. Trump would cooperate with the advice and consent process, but what can they do if he pursues the recess route? It really is too bad and all of that.