Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware) said Wednesday that President-elect Trump's choice of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to be attorney general is due to the Senate's constitutional role of advising and consenting to the president. “This poses an extremely significant challenge,'' he said. candidate.
In an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN's “The Lead,” Coons said he will be involved in the confirmation process, but believes it is important that candidates' qualifications and backgrounds are considered. .
“This is a very serious challenge to the Senate's constitutional advice and consent role, and as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I will be involved in the confirmation process that considers senators' qualifications, ethics, character, and policy views. ''' Mr. Coons told Mr. Tapper, adding that he was “speechless” when he first heard the news.
Coons agreed with Trump's pick for secretary of state, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and said Trump has the right to choose.
“Generally speaking, that's true,” Coons said of Rubio's remarks. “But the Senate has important guardrails and must consider whether someone is appropriate to serve in that role. The attorney general is the nation's top law enforcement officer.”
Coons said he expected Gaetz's confirmation process to be the most thorough, noting that Gaetz himself was the subject of a Justice Department investigation and a House ethics probe.
“Given the ongoing ethics investigation in the House, some of the allegations against Congressman Gaetz, some of his conduct, I think this will be a strong and thorough confirmation process,” he said.
“I hope my colleagues in the Republican caucus will urge the president to reconsider,” Coons continued.
President Trump announced Gaetz as his attorney general nominee on Wednesday, appointing a staunch ally in Congress to be the nation's top law enforcement official. The Florida congressman is the latest in a string of candidates to align with Trump amid his first impeachment inquiry.
The announcement came as a shock to Senate Republicans, who were completely caught off guard by Wednesday's announcement.
Two leading centrist senators, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), expressed shock and surprise, with the Alaska Republican expressing shock and surprise at the choice. It was criticized for lacking seriousness.
“I don't think it's a serious nomination for attorney general. We need a serious attorney general,” Murkowski told reporters. “I look forward to the opportunity to consider someone serious.”
“This wasn't on my bingo card,” she added.
markowski told Punch Bowl News She said she was “shocked by the nomination,” adding: “That's why the Senate advice and consent process is so important.” I'm sure many, many questions will be raised at Mr. Gaetz's hearing. ”
“I don't know,” Coons told Tapper when asked if he thought five Republicans would vote against Gaetz, which would be the standard for blocking his confirmation.
“But, as I said, it will be an important test of whether the Senate will fulfill its important constitutional role as an institution, as a body, as a guardrail to an executive who has just won a broad national mandate. ” We will check your candidates, but not all, not everyone, regardless of their personality or qualifications. ”
