Picking a man to be the attorney general of the United States who has been embroiled in an investigation by the House Ethics Committee for allegations of drug use and sex with an underage female has unleashed a flood of skepticism among senators.
Former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who quit the House Wednesday, has been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump for the post.
Gaetz’s resignation technically ends the House Ethics Committee investigation of his alleged misbehavior, but the existence of the probe and its still-secret findings hang over the nomination.
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska scoffed that she is looking past Gaetz, even before the Senate considers him.
“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for attorney general. We need to have a serious attorney general,” Murkowski said, according to The Hill. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to consider somebody that is serious.”
“This one was not on my bingo card,” she said.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said Gaetz, who in the House carved an image of brashness and was instrumental in deposing former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, might not have the support needed to be confirmed.
Do you want Matt Gaetz to be Attorney General?
Yes: 81% (55 Votes)
No: 19% (13 Votes)
“We’re not going to get a single Democrat vote,” he said.
“It’ll just be interesting to see what his organic base is,” Tillis said. “At the end of the day, Congressman Gaetz, he’ll have a hearing, but I’m all about counting votes, and I would think that he’s probably got some work cut out for him to get a good, strong vote.
The selection stunned moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.
“I was shocked by the announcement — that shows why the advice and consent process is so important,” she said, according to The New York Times. “I’m sure that there will be a lot of questions raised at his hearing.”
Although the Senate will have 53 Republicans in the next Congress, it is still run by Democrats. That led Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin of Illinois to flex his political muscle and call for the House Ethics Committee to make public what it found during its investigation into the allegations against Gaetz, according to The Hill.
Judiciary Committee member Sen. John Cornyn of Texas agreed.
If the House panel found there was wrongdoing, “it would certainly be relevant,” he said.
“I’m not going to speculate what the report shows, but that would certainly be a concern,” he said if there was evidence of drug use or sexual misconduct.
McCarthy said in an interview that Gaetz “won’t get confirmed. Everybody knows that.”
Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said McCarthy has a good read on the temperature of the Senate.
“I think he’s pretty right, actually,” he said.
Cramer said he suspects there is a larger game at work in which the Gaetz nomination is just one chess move.
“Donald Trump is a savvy guy. You never know his motivations,” he said.
Gaetz is “more than capable of litigating the case for why the [Department of Justice] should be turned on its head,” he said, but added Gaetz “just doesn’t have the moral authority” after the allegations against him drew a Department of Justice investigation.
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