President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Matt Gaetz for Attorney General sent shockwaves through Congress, with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy predicting to Bloomberg Television that the nomination won’t succeed. “Look, Gaetz won’t get confirmed,” McCarthy stated. “Everybody knows that.”
The 42-year-old Republican resigned from Congress immediately following Trump’s announcement, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson. This resignation came as the House Ethics Committee was reportedly set to vote Friday on whether to release its report on Gaetz, according to Punchbowl News. The committee had been investigating allegations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, improper gifts, and special privileges since April 2021.
Sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News that the woman at the center of a previous Justice Department probe testified to the House Ethics Committee that Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17 years old. Gaetz responded to ABC News: “These allegations are invented and would constitute false testimony to Congress. This false smear following a three-year criminal investigation should be viewed with great skepticism.”
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Trump characterized Gaetz as a “deeply gifted and tenacious attorney” who would “end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department.”
The announcement prompted varied reactions in Congress. Even the senators have questioned the choice of Gaetz due to his past allegations.
During a July visit to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, Gaetz expressed admiration for President Nayib Bukele’s approach, stating, “This is the solution for El Salvador.” He added, “We think the good ideas in El Salvador actually have legs and can go to other places and help other people be safe and secure and hopeful and prosperous.”
Democratic-led states are forming coalitions and developing plans to push back against policies they expect from the incoming administration. This comes as the GOP wins a full trifecta of power in the nation’s capital: the presidency, control of the House and a three-seat majority in the Senate.
