US President-elect Donald Trump phoned Matt Gaetz, his nominee for Attorney General, eight days after nominating him to inform him that he wouldn’t get confirmed due to Republican senators’ concerns about the sex scandals and investigations surrounding Gaetz. Trump stated that “you don’t have the votes” and acknowledged that senators were troubled by the distractions.
Gaetz had repeatedly claimed he would stay in the nomination hunt unless Trump signaled it was a distraction, but this call sealed his fate. Trump’s decision marks an abrupt change of heart after having floated the possibility of using a recess appointment to install Gaetz.
The conversation followed multiple calls between Trump and lawmakers, including JD Vance accompanying Gaetz to lobby Senate Judiciary Committee members. Despite his optimism in recent conversations, Gaetz was struggling to overcome the anger of fellow Republicans over his past criticisms.
Gaetz had been so confident that he wanted to speak publicly about the ethics case against him but Trump advisers dissuaded him from appearing on Fox. Trump also showed reluctance to test a novel legal theory to force the Senate into recess and appoint Gaetz, concluding it would be a distraction.
Gaetz’s nomination was made essentially on the fly, with Trump making the decision in consultation with billionaire Elon Musk and Boris Epshteyn. Despite his resignation, Gaetz may still be seated when the next Congress convenes in January, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ thinking.
Source: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/you-dont-have-votes-trump-matt-gaetz-attorney-general