Maybe next time
Meanwhile Gaetz has backed out.
Matt Gaetz said Thursday he is withdrawing as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. attorney general, ending the controversial bid that put prior allegations of sexual misconduct in the spotlight.
“I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many,” Gaetz said in a statement posted on his X account.
“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,” said the former Republican congressman from Florida.
Yup yup yup that’s it, it’s a distraction. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with sexual abuse of minors, it’s that it’s a distraction from all the great things the sexual abuser in chief plans to do to us.
Why, yes, their support is incredible.
Gaetz has many faults, but it is nice to see him upholding precision in language here and using the word in its original sense.
I assume the “thoughtful feedback” from the Senators was something along the lines of “Fuck off, asshole.”
Perhaps the “thoughtful feedback” was based on M T-G’s insistence that should Gaetz be confirmed, the entire GOP dirt file would be released.
Not being ‘Mercan, can he go back to the Senate or are you free of him for at least one electoral cycle?
He was in the House, not the Senate. They’ll have a special election to fill his seat; he could run again, but then if he wins he risks having the investigation re-opened. He’ll probably get a sinecure in some law or lobbying firm, or become a Fox News host.
Even ignoring his attraction to minors, what actual qualifications did Gaetz have to be attorney general?
Well he has a law degree. Other than that…
Thanks WaM.
@ Colin Day – he has the same qualification as all Trump’s appointments, the willingness to do as he is told and only as he is told.
Per NPR, Gaetz is actually eligible to return to his seat, since he won re-election this year. This would open up the House investigation again, but in a House controlled by Trumpian Republicans, who would likely bury the entire thing while closing down all investigations of the Great Orange One.
On the same show, it was discussed that some folks believe that this was Gaetz’s desire all along–get named, withdraw under pressure, play the martyr card, and use that to gain support to run for Florida Governor.
I think that many of Trump’s appointments are loyalty tests for the Republican senators, including the Gaetz appointment. He is testing the waters to see how much ridiculous shit he can get away with.
@Freemage,
I stand corrected. You must’ve heard the same report as my wife.
Anyway, I doubt he wants back in–they still could reopen the investigation. My concern is that the Republican Senators will take this as proof of their independence, and let the other nominees slide.
@Colin Day,
Being unqualified for the job seems to be a job requirement in the Trump administration.
What A Maroon @10:
Trump has always, always had the narcissist’s need to be the smartest man in the room. In Trump’s case, specifically, this sets a very difficult limbo bar to squeeze under.
Once again, I think it’s vitally important to understand what’s going on in the light of more global trends. This is entirely consistent with what we have seen i Hungary, Poland, Turkey, Venezuela, Brazil, etc. etc.* The goal is not to make the institutions function better, but to get them under the personal control of the (would-be) dictator. As Anne Applebaum and others have pointed out, political outsiders without relevant qualifications are perfect for the job since that means the only thing they have going for them is their personal loyalty to the leader. Authoritarianism also thrives on dysfunction and chaos, and badly run institutions are a great way to generate dysfunction and chaos.
* Sure, the authoritarians have been voted out of office for now in Poland and Brazil, but, then again, so were Orban in 2002 and Trump in 2020. It doesn’t mean the danger is over.