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What Gaetz's Flameout Means for the Rest of Trump's Cabinet

A top pick being forced to drop out this fast is a real warning sign for the incoming Trump administration.

Dan Pfeiffer

Nov 22

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Well, Matt Gaetz’s nomination for Attorney General didn’t even last until Thanksgiving.

Gaetz’s nomination was dogged by the long-standing allegations that he paid a minor for sex and was a regular attendee at drug-fueled orgies. Trump chose him. And an overwhelming majority of Republican Senators were willing to confirm him as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer despite those allegations.

The recently retired Florida Congressman announced that he was dropping his bid to be Attorney General 45 minutes after CNN called his office to say that they were planning to report the following:

The woman who says she had sex when she was a minor with then-Rep. Matt Gaetz told the House Ethics Committee she had two sexual encounters with him at one party in 2017, sources familiar with her testimony tell CNN.
The woman, who was 17 years old at the time, testified that the second sexual encounter, which has not previously been reported, included another adult woman. She also testified to both sexual encounters in a civil deposition as part of a related lawsuit, sources said.

Many Democrats — and frankly, Republicans — are breathing a sigh of relief that Gaetz will not be Attorney General. Here’s what Gaetz’s flameout means for the rest of Trump’s Cabinet and politics in Trump’s Washington:

1. Bodes Badly for His Other Picks

Typically, Cabinet nominations come after a rigorous vetting process. Lawyers and opposition researchers pore over the financial records, public statements, social media posts, and voting records of every potential nominee. After that process is complete, the FBI does a background check. They talk to their friends, colleagues, and coworkers, and look through their own records for any potential pitfalls with the nominee. Simultaneously, legislative advisors to the President-elect are talking to relevant Senators including the chair and ranking members of the committee of jurisdiction that will process the nomination.

The Trump team clearly did none of those things and paid the price. ...