Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Gaetz AG Nomination Hits Trouble
Former Congressman Matt Gaetz is looking forward to running the Justice Department soon as the US Attorney-General. That presumes that he receives Senate confirmation. With the GOP in the majority, one may think that all of the appointments from the president-elect are safe, that they are shoo-ins. In the case of Mr. Gaetz, that does not appear to be so. His nomination has run into some resistance in the US Senate from his own party. If there is a nominee who will be rejected, Mr. Gaetz is the most likely at the moment.
The problem for the nominee is straightforward. Even some elected GOP officials are hesitant to back an Attorney-General who has been under investigation for alleged crimes committed recently. That the leader of the party has 34 felony convictions against him does not appear to create any sort of moral conundrum for them. Their ability to engage in Orwellian doublethink is astonishing.
The BBC has noted, "On and off since 2021, the secretive House Ethics Committee has investigated Gaetz over various allegations, including the claim that he had sex with an underage girl, used illicit drugs, accepted bribes, misused campaign funds and shared inappropriate images on the House floor."
Back before the arrival of Mr. Trump and the lack of morality he brought with him, that kind of allegation, true or not, would be enough to force his withdrawsal. These days, being a sexual assailant and general scumbag does not appear to be disqualifying.
The House Ethics Committee has also investigated his actions. That report should contain enough facts and supporting evidence to finish him politically and could result in criminal charges if the contents are powerful enough.
However, Mr. Gaetz has resigned his seat, and so, the committee no longer has any jurisdiction over him. As a result, the committee announced a short time ago that the report is not going to be released.
"We're in a different era. Part of that is, we've seen behavior that has otherwise been disqualifying that hasn't been," said Douglas Heye, a former Bush administration official. "The Access Hollywood tape being a perfect example of it. And Bill Clinton being on the campaign trail so prominently. There was a time when Bill Clinton was sort of canceled, and that's gone."
While standards are clearly lower, one would like to think there is a bottom to it all. This, however, is the MAGA movement, where loyalty is the only criteria on which a nominee is judged. Mr. Gaetz is as loyal to the Donald as they come. Mr. Trump will work the phones, offer incentives and plain threaten Senators to vote for Mr. Gaetz.
Glenn Kirschner, former assistant US Attorney and a critic of Mr. Trump, said on YouTube, "And here's another thing I happen to believe Donald Trump was trying to accomplish by just throwing Matt Gaetz's name into the mix as attorney general. I think that's a name that will be withdrawn, but in any event, I worked for decades at the Department of Justice, and I know the men and women there, but I know by in [sic] large they are honest, ethical, honorable people, lawyers...And I have to believe that my former colleagues at the Department of Justice are looking at Donald Trump's alleged nomination of Matt Gaetz and saying, 'Look I can't work for this guy, I can't work for what I believe his policies and priorities to be.' I find it hard to believe that the Republicans will just check their spine at the door and vote in favor of Matt Gaetz."
The game must be played out, but this journal will gladly wager against the GOP suddenly joining the vertebrate class. One hopes Mr. Kirschner is right, instead, but experience says otherwise.
© Copyright 2024 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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