President-elect Donald Trump is making several "first-rate" choices for his upcoming Cabinet, but former Rep. Matt Gaetz's nomination for attorney general "is the biggest question mark," former Rep. Pete King said on Newsmax Sunday.
King added that he doesn't think the Florida Republican will be approved.
"I served with Matt Gaetz in the House," the New York Republican told Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend." "I'm not a big fan of his, to be honest. I agree the president has the prerogative to nominate someone, but I think there are a number of questions now."
King said he also believes that the results of the House Ethics Committee's investigation into Gaetz should be released, if not to the public at least to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will evaluate the nomination.
"Some of the conclusions are going to be very serious," King said of the report. "I think it is important for the Ethics Committee to allow the senators to take a look at those findings so they can make a decision of their own."
Former Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., also on Sunday's program, commented on statements from former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy that Gaetz won't get confirmed and said McCarthy's reasoning is partly opinion and partly personal.
Gaetz spearheaded the push to oust McCarthy last fall and "brought down his speakership," Kingston pointed out.
There is a "discomfort" with Gaetz "about his being a team player," said Kingston.
"I do want to repeat that the president is entitled to select his own team, just like a head coach," he said. "I believe that what Donald Trump wants to do is send a signal to the DOJ that, hey, we're going to shake things up because you guys have been guilty of lawfare as much as any other agency in the federal government."
Kingston also pointed out that the DOJ investigated Gaetz for over a year and closed the file without reviewing it further.
Meanwhile, King said that Trump's choice for energy secretary Chris Wright, the CEO of a fracking company, seems "ideal."
"During Donald Trump's first administration we became energy independent on his first day in office," said King. "Joe Biden began to undo all of that, and now we are dependent on foreign oil.
"Russia and Iran are in a stronger position. So I think by having an energy secretary who understands the meaning of energy and wants to make America energy independent again, he's an ideal choice."
Wright can "go toe to toe with any climate activist or any other energy-related subject matter with any person," Kingston agreed. "This is a guy who does not support the status quo. This isn't just about $2 a gallon gas, which is what we had under Donald Trump. This is about standing up to our enemies and no longer funding Russia and Iran and other adversary nations."
King also said he approves of Trump's appointment of campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, noting that she's "battle-tested."
"She's sharp, she's smart, and she doesn't back down," he said. "She's not going to be apologetic. And yet, I tell you, you have to have armor going in that job.
"The press secretary's job is always tough. But when it comes to Donald Trump having people shooting at you every moment, she's going to walk in facing an overly hostile crowd. No matter what the news is, they're going to be coming at her. But from what I've seen, she's tough and she's going to be able to take it."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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