President-elect Donald Trump‘s first few choices to join his administration drew widespread approval within the GOP. But that sense of unity cracked on Wednesday as Trump announced more controversial figures to fill his Cabinet.
The initial unease came after Trump tapped Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as his secretary of defense on Tuesday. He is a decorated combat veteran but lacks experience in a senior defense role.
Yet it was Trump’s Wednesday’s decision to tap Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) as attorney general that created the greatest heartburn. Meanwhile, his choice of ex-Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence was also met with strong skepticism from the senators who would be tasked with confirming her.
Gaetz, a House firebrand, was under scrutiny as part of a sex trafficking investigation by the same agency he has been asked to lead. Gaetz denied wrongdoing, and the Justice Department ended its investigation with no charges filed against him.
Gabbard, for her part, has no formal experience in intelligence and has been accused of propagating Russian narratives.
Sen. John Thune (R-SD), who is replacing Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as the incoming Senate majority leader, offered a measured response when asked what he thinks about nominees like Gaetz.
“We’re gonna vet and process and look at all the noms when they come forward, and we’ll see,” he said. “That’s all gonna happen in the next few weeks we hope.”
But Senate Republicans, especially the chamber’s centrists, cast doubt that Trump’s nominees could be confirmed. Democrats reacted with disbelief.
“I just heard about Matt Gaetz and Tulsi two minutes ago. We all couldn’t believe it. We thought they were kidding,” said retiring Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV). “I said come on, that’s bulls***.”
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Hegseth nomination overshadowed
Republicans were generally surprised by the choice of Hegseth given he is a Fox News personality, but his nomination did not evoke the same kind of response as that of Gaetz or Gabbard.
GOP senators generally regard Hegseth highly for his military service, with the chamber’s conservatives finding it appealing that he is not in the senior ranks of leadership.
“I’m big on Pete. I like Pete. He’s not a Pentagon man, and we need to clean the Pentagon out,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). “We got way too many generals.”
Others thought the attention on his current job was overshadowing his other qualifications.
“First off, I see the narrative about a Fox News host, but I haven’t heard the narrative about somebody who’s gotten two bronze stars, as I remember — I think we’ll learn a lot more about his military record,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC).
But Senate Democrats, who will be in the minority next year, cast doubt he would receive many votes from within their party.
“It’s an unusual choice. I think we have to look very carefully at his qualifications,” said Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “And I think we have to be very, at this point, skeptical.”
Gaetz faces dim path to confirmation
Gaetz is one of the most controversial figures in the House, where he serves on the Judiciary Committee. Known as a hard-liner, he was the Republican who initiated the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Gaetz has support from some corners of the GOP, particularly grassroots conservatives, but he has few friends in Congress and would have a difficult time getting confirmed.
“Look, I love President Trump. I support every single one of his picks,” Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) told the Washington Examiner Wednesday. “But this one will never get through the Senate. And I would venture to go talk to every single House member out there to see how excited we are that he potentially can be leaving and will never get confirmed.”
Miller slammed Gaetz’s nomination as a”reckless pick,” but said he’s “happy that he’s out of the House, or will be soon.”
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) was still processing the choice when asked about his nomination. “That’s an uff da,” he said, using a humorous Midwestern phrase for when hearing bad news. “Huh, I don’t know what to make of it. To be determined.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said she was “shocked by the announcement” in a brief interview, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said, “I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general.”
Complicating Gaetz’s path to confirmation despite Republicans controlling the House is that last year the Department of Justice investigated the Florida lawmaker over sex trafficking offenses involving minors. The Justice Department would decline to bring charges against Gaetz.
The Florida lawmaker has denied any wrongdoing in response to the allegations.
“That shows why the advice and consent process is so important and I’m sure there will be a lot of questions raised at his hearing,” Collins said.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who lost the race to serve as Republican Senate majority leader Wednesday, was more reserved in his response, but he indicated Gaetz could have trouble because of the allegations of sexual misconduct surrounding him.
Gaetz is also the subject of a separate House Ethics Committee investigation that he has denounced as political retribution against him.
“That might come up,” Cornyn quipped with a grin. “I mean, I don’t know whether there’s any basis to it, so I’m sure we’ll be asking a lot of questions.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who himself was nominated for secretary of state by Trump on Wednesday, struck a more deferential tone when asked about Gaetz’s Senate confirmation.
“I’ve known Matt for a very long time; I think he’d do a great job,” he told the Washington Examiner.
“I will make that determination as it goes through,” Rubio said. “But I think he will because the president deserves great deference as a president with a mandate, and he has a right to surround herself with people he trusts, especially with a position that important.”
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Gaetz finds Freedom Caucus boosters
Gaetz is not without some friends in Congress. He is closely aligned with members of the House Freedom Caucus who celebrated the nomination on Wednesday.
“Matt Gaetz is a brilliant mind who will pursue and restore justice for all and de-weaponize a woke and out-of-control justice system,” said Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN). “I congratulate my friend Matt Gaetz and thank President Donald Trump for selecting an advocate for the American people.”
“He’s a disrupter, and the Department of Justice needs massive disruption,” said Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX). “I think that’s why the president nominated him.”
However, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) was less effusive in his endorsement. “Matt would be great,” he said with a shrug.
There are some lawmakers who expect that the House Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz could wind down given he resigned from his seat, effective immediately, on Wednesday.
“We’re not going to do anything to expedite this. Once the investigation is complete, the Ethics Committee will meet as a committee,” said House Ethics Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS). “We will then return our findings. If Matt Gaetz is still a member of Congress, then that will occur, if Matt has resigned, then this ethics investigation, like many others in the past, will end.”
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Gabbard gets backing of Rubio
Despite Gabbard not joining the GOP until last month, there are some Republicans who are supportive of her bid to become director of national intelligence.
“No, I like Tulsi a lot,” Rubio said when asked about Gabbard’s past disparagements against him as a “warmonger.” “We got to know each other quite a bit over the last couple months. I admire her service to our country as it relates to that. When you win by the margins that President Trump won by, that means you created a big tent, and I don’t think there will be any issue at all — I like her a lot.”
Billionaire tech owner Elon Musk congratulated Gabbard’s nomination on X, the social media platform he owns.
Other conservatives were not willing to overlook her previous stances on America’s relationship with China and Russia.
“When you voted for Trump, you voted to put Tulsi Gabbard, a Russian asset, in charge of our nation’s intelligence,” wrote former 2020 presidential candidate Joe Walsh on X. “That’s what you voted for. Congratulations.”
“Tulsi loves Russia,” said former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a noted anti-Trump Republican, before he slammed Gabbard over her 2017 visit with Syrian President Bashar Assad. “She loves Assad. Assad is a butcher.”
It is unclear whether Gaetz, Gabbard, or Hegseth will ultimately survive Senate confirmation, and if Trump selects Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to a confirmable position, he, too, would likely struggle to win over skeptical senators.
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Recess appointments are one way to shortcut the confirmation process, but even then, the Senate would have to acquiesce to that scenario.
“I always think everyone has good qualities, OK, but some people, you have to look harder,” said Manchin.
