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 lots of my political capital,” the president-elect instructed his inside circle. He may solely spend a lot of it, he defined.
Trump had picked up the phrase from a lawmaker who bluntly instructed him there was a price to any continued effort to push the ex-congressman for legal professional common, 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 help for former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., as his legal professional common decide all however fell aside on the seams after he realized he merely lacked the political capital to salvage his nomination. (Getty Photos)
“Sir, we’re going to vote for you” on Gaetz, “however you’re utilizing lots of political capital.”
As soon as Trump instructed Gaetz that he didn’t have the votes, prompting him to withdraw, he rapidly settled on Pam Bondi, a former Florida legal professional common and profession prosecutor who had exactly the expertise that the embattled Gaetz lacked – and with out the non-public baggage. Gaetz, who’s accused of sleeping with a 17-year-old lady, continues to disclaim any wrongdoing.
He formally withdrew 45 minutes after CNN instructed 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, similar to 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 accordance 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 towards 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 international 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 may be annoyance that he didn’t come clear with the transition workforce about having paid off a girl 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 workforce’s view is that Hegseth did nothing unlawful, that he made a cope with 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 dropping his job at Fox.
I agree he’ll most likely be confirmed, and the transition gang is extra fearful 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 might effectively shift to protection secretary nominee Pete Hegseth. (AP Photograph/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 lots of of 1000’s 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 programs ought to cease utilizing fluoride.
The worst, by far, is what he mentioned 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 mentioned lots of loopy issues through the years, and that could possibly be sufficient to sink his nomination.
Trump World doesn’t care in regards to the different nominations on the speculation that the common voter has by no means heard of most of Trump’s picks for Vitality or HUD.
There’s some Republican resentment at his number of pro-union Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Labor, however that’s among the many insiders.
President-elect Trump’s cupboard is probably the most ideologically various in latest reminiscence, staffing everybody from conservative hardliners to ex-Democrats, and from long-serving congressmen to folks greatest often called TV personalities. (Getty Photos)
What’s putting is that that is probably the most ideologically various Cupboard of the fashionable 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 applications, to frequent Fox medical commentators Marty Makary to handle the FDA and Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon common; 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 interior jockeying additionally led to leaks like this, to the Washington Put up:
“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 search out his manner blocked.
Transition co-chair Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, instructed Epshteyn in entrance of others that this was not a gathering for him. ‘We’re not speaking authorized nominees right now,’ Lutnick mentioned, in accordance with one individual acquainted with the trade.
“Epshteyn refused to budge. Utilizing his forearm, he pushed Lutnick out of the best way, in accordance with two folks acquainted with the incident, which Lutnick later recounted to others. ‘I’m coming in,’ Epshteyn retorted, in accordance with one of many folks.
Cantor Fitzgerald CEO and Commerce Secretary decide Howard Lutnick reportedly had a tough time at a latest Mar-a-Lago assembly, apparently being pushed apart by Boris Epshteyn – who wasn’t speculated to be there. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP by way of Getty Photos)
“A 3rd individual described the incident extra as Epshteyn merely brushing previous Lutnick on his manner 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 standard one-nominee-per-day method, it blurs the give attention to nominees who in any other case may draw media criticism, similar to Dr. Oz, who was typically accused of peddling ineffective treatments on his TV present, since you’d want a scorecard to maintain observe of the blizzard of Trump picks.
So why did Trump decide Matt Gaetz within the first place?
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It might 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 determination to the institution.
Or Trump might have figured that Gaetz was unlikely to make it, however it could be tough 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 effectively and, with some exceptions, is off to a very good begin.