Former President Trump shocked and appalled some Republican lawmakers on Wednesday by announcing plans to nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for attorney general.
Why it matters: Republican reaction to even Trump’s most controversial nominations has been muted so far, but placing the scandal-prone right-winger in the nation’s highest law enforcement role is a step too far for many.
“We wanted him out of the House … this isn’t what we were thinking,” quipped one House Republican, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak frankly about Trump’s decision.
What we’re hearing: Trump’s 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 conference’s response as “stunned and disgusted.”
What they’re saying: “Gaetz has a better shot at having dinner with Queen Elizabeth II than being confirmed by the senate,” said Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), referring to the British monarch who died in 2022.
Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.), noting that Gaetz is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, said he would be “a compromised AG” and that “there are better choices.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she was “shocked” by the pick: “This shows why the advice and consent process is so important and I’m sure that there will be a lot of questions raised at his hearing.”
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said Gaetz has “got his work really cut out for him” to get confirmed.
Yeah yeah I’m sure they will do all sorts of gasping and then confirm him anyway. Despite what they say the lot of them are just Trump sycophants at this point.
You’ve seen how many people have railed against Trump only to turn right back around and toss his salad. Trump has dirt on these people, like mutually assured destruction level dirt.
The “dirt” is not being re-elected because they dare question Trump.
That’s what is ridiculous to me. The consequences are literally that they might lose their job. Yeah it sucks for them a little bit, but the alternative is destroying our fucking country. It’s amazing how many of them choose to bend the knee time and time again.
I believe the calculus is “A even more extreme MAGA diehard will take my place.”
Which is 100% true.
Still extremely self-serving, but kinda reasonable in a Machiavellian way.
Are we spinning the actions of fascists as some sort of secret protection of democracy now? Because what you just said sounds crazy to me. 100% of so called reasonable Republicans have already left the party. The people who remain are corrupt without exception.
What’s the difference between MTG and, say, any of the other Republicans that vote pretty much in kock-step with her on any important issue but aren’t as blatantly loud and dumb except worse news bites?
No, it’s worse than that. It’s “go to prison” level shit.
Call your Senators, give them your name, zip code, and briefly tell them you oppose these noms. It DOES make a difference! Democracy doesn’t stop at the ballot box, it has to be fought for
Unless you live in a red state, it doesn’t matter. It requires a simple majority to confirm.
It does matter if you want to counter the talking heads all saying the election loss is because of progressives. Dem senators need to hear another voice than that and be pushed to not roll over like the special counsel
If our politicians require coaxing to defend democracy then we’ve already lost it.
Bingo!
But what’s been lost can always be found.
In tatters?
Mate up until I saw the election results, I associated myself with moderate conservatives. After the election, I’m trying to reconcile with the fact that my county, my state, and my government elected Trump again.
Like, the part of me that wants to claim conservative fully supports your right to vote whoever you think is right.
But we voted him out in 2020?
Like how do you vote for someone who incited an insurrection?
How do you vote for someone who nominated a judge to the Supreme Court and then tried to waive the background check? Pick someone else on the shortlist or let the process prove him innocent.
How do you vote for someone who nominated a judge wjth so little federal court experience to the Supreme Court?
How do you vote for someone who nominated someone who nominated Aileen Cannon? She has made a mockery of the legal system.
How do you nominate someone with so many scandals you can’t even remember all of them? And is guilty of at least some of those through a court of law?
How do you vote for someone with which there is picture proof of him being friendly on multiple occasions with a pedophile/sex trafficker?
And yes, I’ve never been a CHRISTIAN conservative because I’m not Christian. But what the fuck are they trying to conserve? Off the top of my head, he is trying to topple the rule of law, precedence, trying to bypass the senate confirmation process, already ignored the norm by not welcoming Biden in 2020? He tried to dismantle the post office ffs.
His choices directly led to Dobbs. If you are against abortion, don’t get one. It was that fucking simple. Now, I have others beliefs hoisted upon me. What happened to separation of church and state? What happened to the American value of freedom of religion?
Did they not take the same civics class I took in high school? Do they not have brains? Like what the fuck is going on here that I don’t understand. 47 already showed us what kind of disaster he was as 45. Does nobody remember how he handled COVID?
Like how can I be an independent conservative when so many of my “fellow” conservatives voted for the antithesis of the status quo?
Yes, I get that we shouldn’t be afraid to challenge the status quo where needed but there is almost literally no benefit to anyone by his decisions. Shouldn’t the government make the country better and not worse? Like he is taking us into the past with no improvement
You’re only incorrect on one point: he’s not taking us into the past. There has never been a time in the past that was comparable to the future he’s dumping us into.
The problem is that he’s spread such a large volume of misinformation that people select bits of it that THEY want to believe and accept those lies as truth while dismissing the rest.
One of the lies is that he’s returning America to how it was in some mythical golden age. That’s not where he’s taking it at all. That lie just gets buried under the others.
That was the whole of his last administration.
“What he’s done is just awful. It must stop. This is the last time.” For four years.
I’m just going to spend the next four years treating it like comedy. Nothing else I can do until the mid terms.
I feel like we’re going to see a lot of “Republicans ashamed of Trump” headlines while they sign their names in blood on everything he asks for.
If they wanted to, they could simply choose not to certify the election results or they could impeach and vote to remove him.
They won’t. They’re all complicit.
They’re rightly scared of not being re-elected for daring to oppose him. Or worse.
Mark my words, you are going to see a LOT of railing against rebel Republicans from Trump. Or what few are left, anyway.
I’m pretty over believing stories about Republicans showing regret about Trump and his picks/actions. I’m 100% this is liberal media copium. Republicans love his ass and every asshole he hires
On the other hand I can see republican politicians pretending to be stunned in order to say one thing and do another. They get to pretend they don’t like it for the political game and then actually support it.
Leopards…leopards everywhere.
That is the chonkiest of leopards!!
And faces! Don’t forget the faces.
Eugh. Raw face is just gross.
who spoke on the condition of anonymity
Definitely brings a feline word to mind.
People credibly accused of sex with children have to stick up for each other.
Matt “Pizza” Gaetz makes perfect sense for this role.
Where and when? The 17-yo he supposedly paid for sex, and flew across state lines, opened an OnlyFans site and refused to testify. As if the prosecutors wanted her testifying. His scumbag buddy that went down on federal charges, and was expected to rat him out, didn’t.
Sorry, he got away free and clear. The ethics committee might have nailed him, but we can forget that plan is now stillborn.
Absolutely nothing you say contradicts “credibly accused of”
I wonder if they’ve reached out to Dave Coulier in his fragile state.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said Gaetz has “got his work really cut out for him” to get confirmed.
Trump has already demanded that the Senate go into immediate recess so he can avoid the confirmation process altogether and just appoint them through recess appointments.
It will go the exact same way it did during Trump’s first term: Trump will send out a mean tweet and any dissenters will fall in line. Worked 100% of the time last time.
Yep. I’m curious to see how shocked, stunned and disgusted they really are.
They are going to be so shocked, stunned, and disgusted that they’re going to march right into the Senate chamber and vote the way he fucking told them to vote, but with a really big frowny face. I mean, it’s the strongest message that the United States Congress could possibly send to him. What else are they supposed to do? Vote…against… him? Criticize him…publicly? He might send out a mean tweet on both Twitter and Trump Social. These are politicians we’re talking about here! With cushy jobs and six figure salaries and staff people who have staff people. They can’t handle two mean tweets in one day!
They are all putting on their lip balm and puckering up to kiss his rotten asshole.
RFKj just announced he plans to ban lip balm.
Sure.
He’ll be confirmed with no problem. They always give Trump whatever he wants.
And they lie. A lot.
If they dare to challenge him Trump will sic his army of sycophantic lunatics on them and they’ll fold. It’s cute that these moronic GOP senators think they get a choice in this.
Want to win a chance at maybe having power? Enter the contest by falling in line and kissing the ring.
No way, I know where that ring has been.
Mr Fish caution NSFW & icky
It’s only been a week since he was elected. Dude’s not even in office yet and there’s already shock and scandal coming from his own party. This is going to be a very long four years…
I’ve been saying what will keep me alive the next four years is reminding Trump voters they are getting what they voted for every time they start to complain.
But, four years of even Republicans having to fight tooth and nail against his insanity would be even better.
As designed by the media. Eternal despair is great for viewership.
The last time, when he was approaching 100 days in office, someone said that it felt like we were living in dog years. It’s true, this week has been incredibly long and it won’t get better.
Someone, somewhere wished that Rubio and Gaetz were no longer in Congress.
And the monkey paw curled a finger.
Careful what you vote for.
Rubio is probably the least controversial pick so far.
Yeah, at least he probably knew what the job was before he got it.
Do we get to bring back the “dispense with this notion” meme?
Wait… why would the leader of the face eating leopard party appoint a LEOPARD to the post of Facial Analysis?
Department Of Getting Eaten
Every conflict-of-interest-laundry-department is gonna be called the same so they can brag about small government.
I’m so tired. I can’t handle another four years of journalism covering the most recent crazy thing he did or proposed every hour. Just a firehose of sneaky, selfish plans and actions.
Every one of them will fall in line when they remember Trump’s daughter in-law runs the RNC and their reelection funds are now contingent on obedience.
Bold of you to assume that any family member of Trump’s would not already be stealing the money.
They’ll just treat it like they’re running a charity.
He’s constantly Tarzaning from Trump’s nuts, so he meets all of Trump’s qualifications.
His biggest qualification is he has potential criminal cases he needs gone, just like trump does. Their interests are perfectly aligned. Gaetz will erase all traces of trump’s crimes and evidence without needing to be asked, right after he does the same for himself.
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Remember. According to Susan Collins, he learned his lesson with his first impeachment so he won’t do corruption and crime stuff again. Because Trump pinky swore. Or something.
Of course she’ll rubber stamp it.
You mean Trump didn’t learn his lesson?!?
Why in the world would Republicans think that Trump would make sensible appointments? What has he done in the past, that would make them think this?
