More than half of Senate Republicans, including some in senior leadership positions, have privately said they don’t think former Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz will be confirmed as attorney general and won’t support him to lead the Justice Department, according to multiple sources. The attorney general said in an interview with NBC News on condition of anonymity.
While Senate Republicans cast doubt on Gaetz’s ability to win confirmation, President-elect Donald Trump’s The team still believes he will eventually be confirmed, even after an ugly fight.
NBC News spoke with more than 15 Republican sources who agreed that the Senate does not have enough votes to confirm Gaetz, with some estimating that nearly 30 Republicans believe he is unqualified.
Gaetz and Trump attorney Todd Branch are moving full steam ahead trying to fill the Justice Department vacancy, people familiar with the matter said. If confirmed, Branch would serve as the No. 2 person at the Justice Department, overseeing all U.S. attorneys’ offices nationwide.
“President Trump and his team are focused and confident in confirming Gates, his attorney general designee,” a person familiar with Trump’s thinking told NBC News.
Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and his aides also Call up Spend the past two days learning where senators stand on Gaetz.
Trump announced on Wednesday his selection of Gaetz as attorney general. In an article published in “Truth Social” he wrote“There are no issues more important in America than ending the partisan weaponization of the justice system. Matt will end weaponized government, secure our borders, dismantle criminal organizations, and restore Americans’ deeply broken faith and confidence in the Department of Justice.” “
When the president-elect initially announced his choice, many Republicans — except for House Speaker Mike Johnson, who got a heads-up from Trump — Completely shocked.
Gaetz was often embroiled in controversy during his several terms in the House.
he is Investigated by the Ministry of Justice In the case of the alleged sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl, the former congressman, who resigned shortly after being elected attorney general, always denied the accusations but was never criminally charged.
But on Thursday, the 17-year-old girl’s lawyer X wrote in his post,“She is a high school student and there were witnesses when the incident allegedly occurred.”
Attorney John Clune also called for the release of a report from the House Ethics Committee detailing the committee’s investigation into Gaetz, which has been ongoing for several years.
“If they want to send (the report) that’s fine,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a staunch Trump ally, told reporters at the Capitol this week, though he said in a statement from his office Adding that he plans to vote to confirm each of the president-elect’s judicial nominees.
On Friday, Johnson said he would “Strong demand“The report will not be released publicly, although several Republican senators have said they want to consider it as part of the review process before the confirmation vote.
“I don’t want there to be any restrictions on the Senate’s consideration,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters at the Capitol this week when asked whether the Senate Judiciary Committee should know about the report.
He added: “We need a thorough review of nominees, not only to know whether the nominee is qualified, but also to protect the president.”
“I think when you’re at this stage, especially given his abrupt departure from Congress before the report was released, given the job he was appointed to, given the fact that the FBI would have done a background check anyway, I can’t imagine the committee not Would love to see it,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.). “So, at the very least, those of us who are going to have a vote at some point, starting with the Judiciary Committee, should see this. I can’t imagine they wouldn’t.”
The House Ethics Committee is expected to meet on Friday to decide whether to release the report on Gaetz, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. The panel abruptly canceled the meeting, with House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, a Mississippi Republican, insisting the meeting was simply postponed.
Lawyers for another woman were interviewed by the House Ethics Committee late Friday said his client “testified to the House Ethics Committee In 2017, she witnessed Rep. Gaetz having sex with a minor at a house party in Orlando.
Several Republicans said Gaetz, who is under investigation by agencies he can now oversee, still has a “steep hill” to climb to be confirmed in the Senate.
Asked on Thursday whether the 10 Senate Republicans could vote against Gaetz, Cramer said: “My guess is if we had a vote in the Senate today, it could be more than that.” As Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal earlier hinted to NBC News that day. “I’m worried that he won’t get across the finish line and we’re going to spend a lot of political capital … on some things, even if they get done, you have to wonder if it was worth it.”
NBC News spoke with additional sources who believe the unofficial number is closer to 30. words.
If the Pennsylvania Senate race recount closes and Republicans end up with 53 seats in the upper chamber, Gates will not be confirmed if more than three Republican senators vote against him (Vance could break the tie and become Senate speaker).
Cramer and other Republicans have also warned Trump not to interfere with people like Gaetz during the recess, which would bypass the Senate confirmation process.
Shortly after Trump was expected to win the presidential election Wrote an article on Truth Social Republicans running to be the next Senate majority leader are urged to allow him to use recess appointments to quickly confirm the Cabinet.
Such nominations would bypass the normal appointment process and allow Trump to appoint cabinet members while Congress is in recess for days or weeks, excluding the Senate entirely.
The House and Senate are currently holding pro forma sessions during recess to prevent the president from taking such steps to appoint Cabinet members.
Since publishing the “Truth Society” post, Trump has not requested confirmation of any specific Cabinet picks, including Gaetz, through recess appointments.
“If the obstructionist is from another party and you have the votes to confirm someone, then I think you can make a moral decision to provide that opportunity, that constitutional opportunity,” Cramer said. “On the other hand, if The opposition prevents you from doing that with your own party and I think there are some risks that you can do it but your cabinet secretary will be very weak.”
