Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said Thursday, he is all for giving Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., a fair shake when it comes to going through the confirmation process to become the incoming Trump administration's attorney general.
Punchbowl News reported that Republicans don't see Gaetz even making it to his confirmation hearing, but Lankford said the outlet doesn't speak for all GOP members on Capitol Hill.
"[The reporter] did not talk to me because I've been very clear: Everybody that President Trump puts forward, his nomination should get through the confirmation process, have a full, open process like every single nominee does, and to be able to work through this," Lankford told Newsmax's "Wake Up America."
"So, whether it is Marco Rubio stepping out of the Senate, that was announced yesterday, or Matt Gaetz stepping out of the House, they need to be able to get a full, thorough vetting and go through the process on this," he said. "They're a nominee that the president has picked, and it's the responsibility of the Senate to do what they call advise and consent. So, let's get on with it, and let's do that. That should start Jan. 3 of next year, as soon as the new Congress is sworn in."
Asked about the president-elect nominating a number of outsiders to serve in his new administration, Lankford said, "I think it's a good thing."
"We need to have new voices so that you pick the best person in the country," he said. "The best person in the country is not necessarily somebody that's already here in Washington, D.C. We've got a big country with a lot of folks that are very engaged and a lot of policy issues. Pick the best leaders, and let's bring them because we need it. America is looking for real change that's happening here in all of our agencies and for how we actually operate, so let's bring some change agents in."
With Republicans set to control the House, the Senate, and the White House in 2025, Lankford said that the GOP will have a certain amount of leeway to get things done.
"We can move nominations — that we can do by ourselves as Republicans," he said. "We can go through tax policy since we now have the House, the Senate, and the White House, though it will take a long time to be able to work through all the details of tax policy. But every piece of legislation still requires 60 votes in the Senate, so things will bog down in the Senate somewhat as we try to be able to find that common ground."
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