There are photos and videos of attorney general candidate Matt Gaetz having various dalliances with young women. But if Gates has the photo, other parties also have the photo. And there are Democratic operatives willing to pay big bucks to leak those photos to the media, making Gates a constant distraction.
President-elect Donald Trump won't like it, but there are several reasons why it would be to Trump's long-term advantage if the Senate blocked Gaetz's confirmation.
The first reason is that our country has a president, not a king. The framers of the U.S. Constitution knew what it was like to live under a king, but they didn't want it. So they created three equal branches of government The executive, legislative, and judicial branches can check on and be checked by other branches.
One of those checks is that the president “ advice and consent When appointing government officials, please refer to the Senate.
The White House often reaches out to key Senate leaders to gauge support or opposition to key appointments — that's “advice.” Mr. Trump didn't do that to Mr. Gaetz, but that was a huge unforced error. A few Republican senators probably oppose the nominationand Trump will try to squeeze them to get a yes vote. But some independent-minded Republican senators don't like being squeezed.
President Trump will need these senators to pass his legislative proposals and government reforms over the next four years. It would be easier if he avoided the Gates showdown now.
The second reason is that the country's top law enforcement officials are not considered lawbreakers. Caroline Leavitt was nominated by President Trump to be White House Press Secretary. is quoted as saying Gates is an “honest person.” Gates is many things: ambitious, loyal, and destructive. However, most of his colleagues do not consider him an honest person at all.
as NBC reported two years ago.“Former Florida State Tax Collector.” [Joel Greenberg] His arrest sparked a federal investigation into his former friend, Rep. Matt Gaetz, who was sentenced Thursday to 11 years in prison for sex trafficking of minors and other crimes. ” The Justice Department ultimately halted its investigation into Gaetz's involvement due to concerns about the credibility of witnesses.
But those concerns didn't stop the House Ethics Committee. The government had been planning to announce an investigation into allegations that Gates was involved in sexual misconduct with minors and drug use, but decided to put it on hold after Gates resigned from Congress.
Gates has denied any wrongdoing. The words are quoted “Every investigation against me has the same outcome: I'm exonerated.” In that case, Gaetz said he would support the Ethics Commission releasing its report and would approve his nomination. The people and senators who have to vote should be able to see if it exonerates him. If there are privacy concerns, the report could only be released to the Judiciary Committee before a vote.
The third, more pernicious reason is to avoid endless scandals like Hunter Biden. For four years, the nation has been exposed to photos of Hunter Biden engaging in various self-destructive behaviors, which have become a major distraction for the Biden administration.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) told the media“We were all watching the videos he was showing on the floor of the House of Commons… of the girls he slept with. He was bragging about how he would crush them. [erectile dysfunction] I took my medication and followed it up with an energy drink to get me through the night. ”
If Gaetz has photos and videos, others have photos and videos too. Once Democrats and the media have access, the public will regularly flood in as long as Gaetz is attorney general. That's not what President Trump or the country wants or needs.
Fortunately, there are a number of excellent attorney general candidates who are widely respected and who have strongly defended Trump against the Justice Department investigation. And who would be able to participate in a deep clean-up of the Justice Department and still maintain enough independence to tell President Trump where the law forbids it?
I don't know if they will accept this nomination, but Democrat Alan Dershowitz would be a great chief to cap off a long and distinguished legal career. Law professor Jonathan Turley has frequently defended Trump and criticized the Justice Department in the media. And libertarian-leaning law professor Richard Epstein is a third likely choice.
Gaetz's confirmation would be a distraction and constant headache for Donald Trump and the country. In order for Trump to win the long-term war, it is better to lose this short-term decisive battle now.
Merrill Matthews He is a public policy and political analyst and co-author of On the Edge: America Faces the Entitlements Cliff.
