Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, is “unqualified” for the role, according to Senate Republicans who spoke privately about the president-elect’s appointment.
Trump shocked observers last week when he announced the nomination of Gaetz and several other controversial Cabinet picks — including naming Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
NBC News reporter Julie Tsirkin on Saturday said “more than half of Senate Republicans are privately saying Matt Gaetz is unqualified to be attorney general.”
“Multiple sources tell me as many as 30 oppose his confirmation to lead the Department of Justice,” Tsirkin reported.
The congressional correspondent noted Trump tapped Gaetz to lead the very department that once “investigated him for sex trafficking.” The DOJ declined to press charges in that probe, but — as Tsirkin noted — the bipartisan House Ethics Committee “picked up where the DOJ left off,” compiling a report on the investigation into Gaetz’s alleged misconduct.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) last week told reporters he “doesn’t want the report made public,” but, according to Tsirkin, “the House committee findings are essential in the Senate.”