Numerous Republican lawmakers told Donald Trump and his team that they believe his pick for attorney general, controversial Rep. Matt Gaetz, has little chance of being confirmed, according to several Senate Republicans and people close to Trump. And they secretly hope that Trump won’t let them walk the plank.
That message, according to people granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue, was delivered to the president-elect himself, his future White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, and to Gaetz’s unofficial “sherpa,” Vice President-elect J.D. . Vance. And it seems to be at least partially sinking in.
Knowing the toxic character they are dealing with, Senate Republicans worry they will be tainted by the process. They fear that senators up for re-election in 2026, including Sen. Thom Tillis (R.N.C.), could face a primary challenge from MAGA if they oppose his nomination — while potentially losing their seats in a general election will say goodbye if they support him.
It is not just the politically vulnerable who are concerned. There are fears that Trump will waste valuable political capital trying to push Gaetz through, when he could instead be working to advance other, more viable nominations — not to mention his governing agenda. Just think, they say, how distracting Gaetz’s confirmation hearings will be if Trump moves to dismantle Joe Biden’s regulatory and legislative legacy.
Trump has indicated that he thinks Gaetz has “no chance of being confirmed by the Senate,” the New York Times reported last night. But Trump, they add, still wants to fight. He has asked Senate Republicans to give his pick “a chance” and argued that Gaetz is the right man to fix the Justice Department, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told reporters on the Hill yesterday .
“That was basically the whole conversation,” Cramer said. ‘He is the disruptor the department needs. That is the starting point. And he doesn’t know that anyone else really will be.
Early this morning, Trump’s key ally, Elon Musk, posted support for Gaetz on his X platform: “He’s Judge Dredd. America needs to clean up a corrupt system and put powerful bad actors in jail. Gaetz will be our Hammer of Justice.” He added that the allegations of misconduct were “less than nothing.”
Despite the lobbying campaign, things do not look rosy. Nearly a dozen Senate Republicans declined to say they would support Gaetz when pressed by POLITICO last night. The ones who Are speaking is not particularly friendly.
“He has an uphill climb,” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) told reporters.
Republicans also warn Trump that the fight will be messy. While incoming Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) dodged questions about whether he would try to obtain the House Ethics Committee’s unpublished report or speak to the women who alleged misconduct, we hear from Republican sources in the room that panel Republicans will do so. probably have to do both.
After all, the Judiciary Committee requires all nominees to undergo extensive FBI background checks that would reveal something in the House Ethics report that it says is damning — and then some. Both Republicans and Democrats will investigate whether Gaetz paid women for sex, slept with a minor or used illegal drugs as alleged against him.
Gaetz has staunchly denied these allegations as part of a “deep state” plot against him, but he appears to be on a collision course with his accusers.
