President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he intends to replace Attorney General Merrick Garland with flame-mongering Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), leaving the Republican Party's old conservatives stunned into silence and many angry. Democrats panicked.
Republicans will still control the U.S. Senate in January, despite efforts by the cronies of Pennsylvania's defecting Democratic Sen. Bob Casey to reduce the Republican majority. That means Republicans have the numbers to confirm Gates as attorney general. But you may not have enough willpower to see him through at the moment.
In addition to resistance from nominal allies, Gaetz, who resigned from Congress following President Trump's announcement, also faces incredible opposition from the liberal establishment. Nevertheless, there are multiple ways forward if President Trump's intentions are to be realized and a Justice Department led by a longtime critic committed to radical reform.
announcement
President Trump is hoping to install some disruptors in key positions in his next administration. Lt. Col. Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. Elon Musk and Ohio entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswami are running the planned Ministry of Government Efficiency. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) as Secretary of State. and. Florida Congressman Mike Walz, a former Green Beret, has been appointed National Security Advisor.
“Matt will end weaponized government.”
playing cards announced On Wednesday, he announced he would nominate Gates, who helped oust former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the House speaker position last year, to replace him at the Justice Department. 5 I expect a thorough house cleaning.
“Matt is a deeply talented and tenacious lawyer who trained at William & Mary Law School and has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving much-needed reforms at the Department of Justice,” Trump said in a statement. ” he wrote. “There are few issues in America more important than ending the partisan weaponization of our justice system.”
Gates, frequent guest Appearing on Stephen K. Bannon's “War Room” podcast, the subject of a frivolous Justice Department sex-trafficking investigation impressed upon his fellow conservatives the need to rein in the administrative state. .
“It doesn't matter if you spend every second and every ounce of energy you have,” Gates wrote in his book. 2023 CPAC Speech. “Either we get this government back on our side, or we defund, eliminate and abolish everything, including the FBI, CDC, ATF, and Department of Justice, if they don't comply. ”
“Matt will end weaponized government, secure our borders, dismantle criminal organizations, and restore the American people's badly shattered faith and trust in the Department of Justice,” Trump continued. “At the House Judiciary Committee, which oversees the Department of Justice, Matt played a key role in busting the Russia, Russia, Russia disinformation and exposing alarming systemic government corruption and weaponization. Defender of the Constitution and the rule of law.” ”
“This is a truly sickening moment for graduates.” [from] Department of Justice. ”
next president added“Matt will root out systemic corruption at the Department of Justice and return the department to its original mission of fighting crime and defending our democracy and the Constitution.”
gates answered “It is an honor to serve as President Trump's attorney general.''
reaction
While many Republicans, who want to see Trump fulfill his campaign promises, praised Gates' selection, Democrats, liberal outspoken members and other supporters of the former administration have warned that Trump will make good on his campaign promises. He did not react well to the news that he had fulfilled his promise. be considered The New York Times' “bomb throwers” will soon be in control of the Justice Department.
New Mexico State Senator Martin Heinrich (Democrat) I wrote“People voted for cheaper eggs, whatever this is.”
“There is no question as to Matt Gaetz's qualifications. They are completely lacking. His only relevant law enforcement experience is being the subject of a criminal investigation.” tweeted Connecticut State Senator Richard Blumenthal (D). “He will weaponize the Department of Justice for political purposes. He will be a national security risk. I haven’t.”
“Confirming him would mean affirming the worst potential abuses by the Department of Justice.” tweeted Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). “He must be rejected by the Senate.”
Congressman Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said Axios, the choice of Gaetz and Trump's other nominees, was a “very unscrupulous choice, and one that no one remembers from the first Trump presidency, but surprisingly, they are likely to lead to a lot of confusion and turmoil going forward.” It suggests that incompetence will occur.”
Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan suggested that President Trump's account had been hacked and called the election “insane.”
Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa) reportedly He was “furious” after hearing the news and stood in awe for nearly 30 minutes.
David Laufman, former chief of counterintelligence and export control at the Obama Justice Department's National Security Agency, said: said MSNBC's “Deadline White House” host was perplexed, saying, “This is a truly sickening moment for graduates.” [from] For the Department of Justice and for people across America who value the rule of law. ”
“This nomination reflects an extremely gross disrespect and contempt for the rule of law, the Department of Justice as an institution, and the thousands of men and women across this country who strive every day to carry out their mission on behalf of the American people. “We will bring justice to this country according to the rules of our state and the U.S. Constitution,” Laufman added.
Ellie Honig, CNN legal analyst I had the same problem He summarized the news and reiterated the technocratic arguments raised earlier this week about why Hegseth should not run the Pentagon.
“He’s the Attorney General! Suck it up.
”[Gaetz] “He has never worked a day in his life as a prosecutor,” Honig said, adding, “He has only been an attorney for a few years at the local level. He has never been a prosecutor before. There was an AG, but they all held important positions in the Department of Justice other than prosecutors. Matt Gaetz is a total unknown in this profession.”
“He's there to weaponize,” Honig added.
Justice Department officials were similarly depressed Wednesday night.
MSNBC collected The reactions of Ministry of Justice officials, including senior bureaucrats, to this announcement are as follows.
- “oh my god.”
- “How many other candidates for attorney general have been the subject of criminal investigations in the past?”
- “It's completely unbelievable.”
- “I never thought something like this would happen.”
- “What's going on?”
- “It's really amazing.”
- “Insane.”
- “It's completely unbelievable.”
Whether bureaucrats believe it or not, Gaetz is likely to take over the Justice Department in January if he can overcome the obstacles ahead.
Future direction
Liberals are not the only ones who want to prevent Mr. Gaetz from taking control of the Justice Department. There appears to be resistance from nominal Republicans in the U.S. Senate.
Republican senator speaking on condition of anonymity said FOX News Digital, “He will never be confirmed.''
Another Senate Republican official suggested, “That's not going to happen.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) did not seem to take a stance, telling reporters, “I think any nominee by the president has to be seriously considered, but we also have a constitutional responsibility.'' Ta.
Associated Press shown Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) may be similarly cautious, saying she was “shocked” by the nomination.
“While we acknowledge that the next president has the right to nominate whomever he wishes, we as Congress have a constitutional responsibility to provide advice and consent that requires public hearings, FBI background checks, and a plethora of questions. 'You're going to need that' is the question in this case,'' Collins said. “If the nomination actually moves forward, there will be a tremendous number of questions raised during Mr. Gaetz's hearing.”
Asked whether he supported Gaetz's confirmation, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson (R) said, “We'll see.”
The House ethics investigation into Gates included an outstanding investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, illegal drug use, acceptance of inappropriate gifts, and denials of attempts to obstruct government investigations. But that investigation effectively died with his resignation, as the House no longer has jurisdiction.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson Confirmed Gaetz tendered his resignation, effective immediately, suggesting that a swift resignation would allow Republicans to fill his seat as early as January 3, 2025.
If Republican senators aren't on board, President Trump could push for Gates' appointment through a recess appointment, which Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) suggested would be a solution. .
When asked about the outlook for AG Gaetz, Massie said: said Reporters, “Give the appointment a rest! He's the attorney general! Shut up.”
constitution I allow it Holiday appointments as a way to avoid long government vacancies.
Incoming Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune (R.S.D.) agreed to suspend the appointment. Tweet“We must act quickly and decisively to get the presidential nominee in place as soon as possible. All options are on the table, including recess appointments, to make that happen. We cannot allow Mr. Schumer and Senate Democrats to thwart the will of the American people.” ”
Steve Bannon, a former Trump adviser who has once again become a target of the Biden-Harris Justice Department, emphasized that recess appointments should be avoided in favor of votes.
“We have to show them that we're not going to do this in the dark.” said Bannon. “This isn't it.”
Sean Davis, co-founder of The Federalist, noticed On X says, “Now that Gaetz has resigned his House seat, DeSantis can always appoint Gaetz to Rubio's Senate seat if the Senate attempts to deny him confirmation as AG.”
“It will be interesting to see the senators have to choose between selecting Mr. Gaetz as AG or as a colleague for years to come,” Davis added.
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