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Most of President-Elect Trump’s nominations have been excellent, but selecting Rep. Matt Gaetz to be Attorney General is, to put it politely, a puzzler. Gaetz obviously lacks the stature normally expected in that role, and his history is checkered.
Liberal commentators interpreted Gaetz’s appointment as a sign that Trump will seek revenge against the Democrats who tried to bring him down and send him to prison. I don’t know whether that is what Trump has in mind or not, but if it is, he would be better served by a more skilled and experienced lawyer.
Will Gaetz be confirmed? Several senators have already expressed surprise and dismay at his selection. Whether those negative reactions will turn into “No” votes remains to be seen. But in the meantime, Gaetz has already resigned from the House.
News accounts have emphasized the fact that Gaetz’s departure from the House will bring the long-running Ethics Committee investigation of him to an end. Once he leaves the House, the Ethics Committee loses jurisdiction. The investigation relates to claims that Gaetz engaged in sex with an underaged girl and used drugs. My sense is that those allegations have been discredited, but I haven’t followed the case closely.
In my view, the ideal scenario would be that Gaetz not be confirmed. Then Trump could nominate someone more effective as Attorney General, and we would be rid of Gaetz in the House. I suspect that, after the discreditable role he played a year ago when the Republicans were trying to elect a Speaker, most of his colleagues would be glad to see him gone.