Donald Trump was within the room with JD Vance, Stephen Miller and different high advisers after calling senators to attempt to salvage the sinking nomination of Matt Gaetz.
He wasn’t having any luck.
“I’m utilizing quite a lot of my political capital,” the president-elect informed his internal circle. He may solely spend a lot of it, he defined.
Trump had picked up the phrase from a lawmaker who bluntly informed him there was a price to any continued effort to push the ex-congressman for legal professional normal, amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.
HACKER OBTAINS HOUSE ETHICS TESTIMONY ON MATT GAETZ AS TRUMP MAKES CALLS FOR AG NOMINEE
President-elect Trump’s assist for former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., as his legal professional normal choose all however fell aside on the seams after he realized he merely lacked the political capital to salvage his nomination. (Getty Photographs)
“Sir, we’re going to vote for you” on Gaetz, “however you’re utilizing quite a lot of political capital.”
As soon as Trump informed Gaetz that he didn’t have the votes, prompting him to withdraw, he shortly settled on Pam Bondi, a former Florida legal professional normal and profession prosecutor who had exactly the expertise that the embattled Gaetz lacked – and with out the private baggage. Gaetz, who’s accused of sleeping with a 17-year-old woman, continues to disclaim any wrongdoing.
He formally withdrew 45 minutes after CNN informed him it could report that he’d had a threesome – particularly, that there had been one other alleged incident with Jane Doe, the girl who says she had intercourse with Gaetz at 17, and an grownup lady.
Bondi has a historical past of partisan loyalty to Trump, reminiscent of defending him at his first impeachment trial, and this 12 months, headed the authorized arm of a pro-Trump agency and have become a registered lobbyist.
However right here’s the distinction, in keeping with insiders: She gained’t go in and blow up the Justice Division, as Gaetz needed to do. She respects the rule of regulation, say Florida colleagues. She even employed the Democrat who ran in opposition to her for AG, who’s praising her. Sure, Bondi has talked about prosecuting “dangerous” prosecutors, however who can object to that?
With Gaetz out, extra scrutiny has shifted to Pete Hegseth’s nomination to run the Pentagon’s world forms.
WHY TRUMP IS STICKING WITH GAETZ, HEGSETH DESPITE NEW ACCUSATIONS – AND HIS ‘MORNING JOE’ MEETING
The view from Trump World is that Hegseth, as a adorned Military fight veteran, most likely will get confirmed, although there’s annoyance that he didn’t come clear with the transition crew about having paid off a lady who accused him of sexual assault, and had her signal an NDA, in what he calls a consensual encounter in California in 2017.
The transition crew’s view is that Hegseth did nothing unlawful, that he made a take care of the accuser who lied to avoid wasting her marriage – and didn’t go to the hospital for 4 days – and he didn’t need this public as a result of he feared shedding his job at Fox.
I agree he’ll most likely be confirmed, and the transition gang is extra nervous about Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. As a sensible matter, I believe the GOP-controlled Senate can reject just one different nominee.
With Gaetz out of the image, Trump critics’ scrutiny could properly shift to protection secretary nominee Pete Hegseth. (AP Picture/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
The priority about Gabbard for director of nationwide intelligence is that she has no expertise in that delicate space, that the previous Democratic congressional consultant met with Syrian strongman Bashar Assad regardless of his homicide of tons of of hundreds of individuals, and infrequently appears to echo the Putin line. The query is whether or not she is even certified.
There’s much more concern about Kennedy’s bid to turn out to be HHS secretary. He has some good concepts, however even placing apart his historical past of infidelity, he embraces one conspiracy idea after one other: Vaccines trigger autism, WiFi causes most cancers, water methods ought to cease utilizing fluoride.
The worst, by far, is what he stated in 2020, embracing the concept the federal authorities intentionally created the pandemic – what he known as the “plandemic” – that killed 1.2 million People. That is the equal of 9/11 truthers.
The important thing right here is that the criticism is coming from the left. Liberals within the media and on the Hill don’t like RFK as a result of he’s pro-choice and is seen as a rogue Democrat who has stated quite a lot of loopy issues through the years, and that could possibly be sufficient to sink his nomination.
Trump World doesn’t care concerning the different nominations on the idea that the typical voter has by no means heard of most of Trump’s picks for Power or HUD.
There’s some Republican resentment at his choice of pro-union Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Labor, however that’s among the many insiders.
President-elect Trump’s cupboard is essentially the most ideologically numerous in current reminiscence, staffing everybody from conservative hardliners to ex-Democrats, and from long-serving congressmen to folks finest referred to as TV personalities. (Getty Photographs)
What’s putting is that that is essentially the most ideologically numerous Cupboard of the trendy period.
As Axios was the primary to level out, the lineup ranges from Marco Rubio as secretary of State to a slew of present and former members of Congress to such controversial picks as Hegseth, Gabbard and RFK, to Dr. Oz, to run the Medicare and Medicaid packages, to frequent Fox medical commentators Marty Makary to handle the FDA and Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon normal; each are medical medical doctors. And he selected former congressman Dave Weldon to take over the CDC.
In a CBS ballot, 59% approve of the best way Trump is dealing with the transition.
GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR?
The inner jockeying additionally led to leaks like this, to the Washington Publish:
“Donald Trump’s legal professional and adviser Boris Epshteyn arrived just lately for a gathering about Cupboard picks within the Tea Room at Mar-a-Lago solely to seek out his approach blocked.
Transition co-chair Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, informed Epshteyn in entrance of others that this was not a gathering for him. ‘We’re not speaking authorized nominees in the present day,’ Lutnick stated, in keeping with one individual acquainted with the change.
“Epshteyn refused to budge. Utilizing his forearm, he pushed Lutnick out of the best way, in keeping with two folks acquainted with the incident, which Lutnick later recounted to others. ‘I’m coming in,’ Epshteyn retorted, in keeping with one of many folks.
Cantor Fitzgerald CEO and Commerce Secretary choose Howard Lutnick reportedly had a tough time at a current Mar-a-Lago assembly, apparently being pushed apart by Boris Epshteyn – who wasn’t purported to be there. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP through Getty Photographs)
“A 3rd individual described the incident extra as Epshteyn merely brushing previous Lutnick on his approach into the assembly.”
This flood-the-zone method diverted consideration from the Gaetz fiasco and raised questions on incoming White Home chief of employees Susie Wiles and the way a lot enter she has. And in contrast to the normal one-nominee-per-day method, it blurs the deal with nominees who in any other case would possibly draw media criticism, reminiscent of Dr. Oz, who was usually accused of peddling ineffective cures on his TV present, since you’d want a scorecard to maintain monitor of the blizzard of Trump picks.
So why did Trump choose Matt Gaetz within the first place?
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It could have been an impulsive transfer whereas Trump was on the aircraft with him, together with Wiles. However the president-elect is savvy sufficient to know it could set off a media firestorm, and insiders name it a screw-you choice to the institution.
Or Trump could have figured that Gaetz was unlikely to make it, however it could be troublesome to reject the backup nomination, particularly one as certified as Pam Bondi.
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No matter your view, there’s no query that Trump has managed the transition fairly properly and, with some exceptions, is off to a great begin.
