President-elect Donald Trump is personally pressuring Republican senators in a bid to get former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., his pick for attorney general, confirmed after a new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3.
Trump is firmly standing behind his nominee, who has faced a House Ethics Committee investigation over sexual misconduct allegations, Axios reported Monday. The Ethics Committee is considering whether to release its report on Gaetz, who has denied wrongdoing.
"He clearly wants Matt Gaetz," Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., who received a call from Trump, told Axios. "He believes Matt Gaetz is the one person who will have the fearlessness and ferociousness, really, to do what needs doing at the Department of Justice.
"One thing about Donald Trump, people should never confuse his support for one of his nominees as a tactical or strategic tool for somebody else. And at least to this point, he's putting his own political capital behind it. And he's a pretty persuasive guy."
Another senator confirmed to Axios that Trump reached out to rally them behind Gaetz. Republicans will have a four-seat majority (53-49) in the new Congress, and Gaetz, who has rubbed many lawmakers in his party the wrong way, can only afford to lose three GOP votes to preserve his candidacy.
Multiple House lawmakers told Axios that even if the Ethics Committee does not release the report — Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is lobbying against it — it is highly probable it will be leaked to the media.