NYT reveals names of ‘Gang of 4’ GOP Senators who sunk Gaetz

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Matt Gaetz withdrew his bid to become attorney general on Thursday in what the New York Times labeled “the first major political setback for President-elect Donald J. Trump since his election this month.”

The Florida Republican was the target of a DC smear campaign centered around allegations he had sex with a 17-year-old female, with a sprinkling of drug use allegations and paying for sex added in for extra measure, but the logical reason the former congressman backed out was that he did not have enough support among Republican senators.

With 53 seats in the new Congress, it would only take four Republican senators to sink Trump’s nominee for attorney general, and to the surprise of no one, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) headed up a Gang of 4 opposing Gaetz, according to the Times. As for the other three, the two usual suspects were joined by a newly elected Republican.

The newspaper reported, “Mr. Gaetz told people close to him that after conversations with senators and members of their staffs, he had concluded that there were at least four Republican senators in the next Congress who were implacably opposed to his nomination: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and the newly elected John Curtis of Utah.”

Gaetz announced his withdrawal Thursday in a statement shared online after meeting with senators this week on Capitol Hill — he did not address the issue of support, but noted that his confirmation was “becoming “a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.”

“I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many,” he wrote. “While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.”

“I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history. I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I’m certain he will Save America,” Gaetz concluded.

As for the Gang of 4, McConnel, Collins, and Murkowski were quite content voting to confirm current Democratic Attorney General Merrick Garland:

Here are ALL the Republican Senators who voted to confirm Deep State operative Merrick Garland as Attorney General. Many of them have already spoken out against @mattgaetz. They voted “YEA” for a Democrat but would vote “NAY” for one of their own. Let that sink in… pic.twitter.com/JkhV8KCTEX

— Mark Kaye (@markkayeshow) November 19, 2024

The withdrawal by Gaetz frees up the DC political machine to focus its attention on two other Trump nominees, though the NY Times was coy about that reality.

“What remained unclear on Thursday was whether Mr. Gaetz’s withdrawal would embolden Senate Republicans to challenge other contentious cabinet choices, such as Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News host tapped for defense secretary, or Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the conspiracy theorist and vaccine skeptic selected for secretary of health and human services,” the newspaper noted.

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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.