WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump stunned Senate Republicans by announcing Wednesday that he will nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to be U.S. attorney general.
Gaetz, a Trump loyalist known for being a rabble-rouser in Congress, will need a majority of the Senate to be confirmed as the nation’s top law enforcement officer. Republicans will have a majority of 52 or 53 seats beginning on Jan. 3, depending on the outcome of the Pennsylvania Senate race. That means Gaetz won’t have a large margin for error, assuming every Democrat opposes him.
Some Senate Republicans said the process won’t be smooth sailing for Gaetz.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said it will be “a significant challenge” for Gaetz to win enough votes to be confirmed.
“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general. That’s Lisa Murkowski’s view,” Murkowski said. “We need to have a serious attorney general. And I’m looking forward to the opportunity to consider somebody that is serious. This one was not on my bingo card.”
“He’s got his work cut out for him,” added Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who sits on the Judiciary Committee that oversees the nomination, said the Senate will “have to consider any nominee by the president seriously, but we also have a constitutional responsibility.”
“I don’t know the man, other than sort of this public persona,” Cornyn told reporters.
When asked about Gaetz being investigated by the House Ethics Committee for allegations of sexual misconduct, Cornyn deadpanned: “Well, that might come up.”
“I don’t know whether there’s any basis to it or not,” he added. “So yeah, I’m sure we’ll be asking a lot of questions.”
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who also serves on the Judiciary Committee, said the Senate will give Gaetz an “honest look” and that the investigations involving the congressman will be “part of the process” of considering him for the job.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, sounded a note of skepticism.
“Obviously, the president has the right to nominate whomever he wishes, but I’m certain that there will be a lot of questions,” she said.
Collins said the ethics probe will be “one of the issues that’s going to be raised, because, as I understand it, there’s an active investigation by the House Ethics Committee.”
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said Gaetz’s prospects of getting confirmed were “a long shot,” adding that it’s “very possible” Trump is testing the limits of how far he can push the Senate.
Other Senate Republicans refused to comment on Trump’s latest Cabinet selection.
“I got nothin’ for you on that,” said Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala.
But some GOP senators sounded open to the possibility of Gaetz.
“The president gets to pick his nominees,” said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., without saying how he would vote.
Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., didn’t directly comment on Gaetz, but said he looks “forward to getting President Trump’s nominees after we hear their plans for the departments.”
Asked if that meant he’d vote yes, he said, “Everybody has to go through committee hearings, but we want to work to confirm President Trump’s nominees.”
‘You can record me as speechless’
Senate Democrats were also flummoxed by Trump’s announcement.
“You can record me as speechless,” said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., who serves on the Judiciary Committee.
“That was in The Onion, right?” said Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt.
Added outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va.: “I just heard the news. I can’t even believe it.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Judiciary Committee, said Gaetz lacks basic qualifications for the job.
“He will have a lot of problems in the Senate,” Blumenthal said. “I think that this nomination will be the first major test of whether they’re willing to stand up to Donald Trump. And we’ll soon know.”
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., laughed and called the Gaetz nomination “God-tier level trolling” to “own the libs in perpetuity.”
“Obviously, it’s not serious,” he said. “No one’s going to confirm him. And I’m certainly not going to freak out.”
House Republicans react to the Gaetz pick
As Trump’s social media post announcing the pick made the rounds, Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, said the reaction in the room where House Republicans were meeting was: “Oh my God.”
When asked if Gaetz has the character to be attorney general, Simpson replied, “Are you sh—ing me?”
“No,” he said, and called on the House Ethics Committee to release their report on Gaetz now.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said he’s worried that the already slim GOP majority is thinning further as a result of Trump plucking several lawmakers for administration jobs.
“We met with President Trump and said, ‘Please, no more House members after Matt Gaetz,’” Scalise said.
Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, calld the Gaetz pick “silly.”
“I believe that the president is probably rewarding him for being such a loyal soldier to the president,” he said. “But the president is smart enough, and his team is smart enough to know that Mr. Gaetz will never get confirmed by the Senate whatsoever.”