Some of President-elect Donald Trump's Senate skeptics are joining what is expected to be full Democrat opposition to former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., as the next attorney general.
The Senate holds the advise and consent role over Trump's Cabinet nominees and the self-proclaimed "firebrand" Gaetz has his own detractors, giving him a large mountain to climb to garner enough support to be confirmed to replace Attorney General Merrick Garland.
There are at least five Republican senators who have at times broken from Trump to come out against Gaetz's nomination and another, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Thursday he wants to review the House ethics report on Gaetz, an investigation that seemingly had been spiked when Gaetz abruptly resigned his seat once nominated Wednesday.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine
Collins had been one of Trump's biggest skeptics in the Senate — she voted to impeach Trump after he left office in 2021. Collins said she was shocked by announcement of Trump's intention to nominate Gaetz as his attorney general.
"Obviously, the president has the right to nominate whomever he wishes," Collins said. "But this is why the Senate's advise and consent process is so important. I'm sure that there will be many, many questions raised at Mr. Gaetz's hearing, if in fact the nomination goes forward."
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska
After she voted to impeach him, Trump had backed primary challenges against Murkowski — and denounced her support for ranked-choice voting and Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, against Republicans in the past. Murkowski rejected Gaetz's nomination as not "serious."
"I don't think it's a serious nomination for the attorney general," Murkowski said. "I'm looking forward to the opportunity to consider somebody that is serious. This one was not on my bingo card."
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.
"I have very few skills, vote counting is one, and I think he's got a lot of work to get 50," Tillis said, without elaborating on how he might see his vote.
Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind.
Young, a former chair of the Republican Senatorial Committee under former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was asked for comment about Gaetz's nomination but reportedly pivoted by praising Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., on being nominated to be the next secretary of state, Politico Playbook reported.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.
One of the seven to have voted to impeach Trump after he left office in 2021 — and one of just three remaining in the Senate — Cassidy dodged Politico's question on Gaetz by claiming he has to fix a toilet.
"I'm trying to go fix a toilet between getting back for a vote," he said, Politico reported. "Life's a little hectic right now."
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas
Cornyn, who has been criticized heavily by Newsmax host Chris Salcedo, did not say whether he opposed Gaetz's nomination, but he did say he "absolutely" wants to review an unreleased congressional ethics report on Gaetz.
Gaetz resigned his seat in the House on Wednesday, which would end an Ethics Committee probe examining allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. He has denied wrongdoing.
Gaetz also was investigated by the Justice Department for nearly three years over sex trafficking allegations involving a 17-year-old girl. His office said in 2023 he had been told by prosecutors that he would not face criminal charges.
Cornyn told reporters "there should not be any limitation" on the Senate's investigation as lawmakers consider whether they should confirm Gaetz to head the Justice Department, "including whatever the House Ethics Committee has generated."
When asked if that means he wants to see the ethics report, he replied: "Absolutely."
Information from Reuters was used to compile this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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