Very Briefly Re Gaetz Withdrawal
It’s a big story, so …
The best account I’ve seen is at Red State:
There’s no point in going into why it happened. The author does an excellent job of explaining why a recess appointment was never a realistic option—he goes over all the technicalities, which are more complicated than most people realized. Follow the link if you’re into parliamentary procedure.
More importantly he suggests what comes next—hopefully:
With all that said, Trump will likely come out a winner in the end. Gaetz stepping aside has no doubt bought some goodwill with some wishy-washy GOP senators, and that will be needed to get some of these other nominees through. If you want Robert F. Kenndy Jr. to become head of Health and Human Services, that's more possible now.
Further, Trump needs a clean fight over his nominees. There's simply no time to waste on a drawn-out, scandal-ridden nomination process. I'm not arguing that is fair, but fairness really has nothing to do with this situation. Politics is the art of the possible, and with Democrats likely to retake the House in two years, the time to strike is now. That means getting people in place as quickly as possible who have the know-how to truly reform these various agencies.
It's going to take a surgeon to fix the DOJ because the deep state will not go quietly or easily, and there are some very good options out there that may be better in the long run. Missouri AG Andrew Baily (R-MO), who has led many major conservative legal battles over the last few years, was already in consideration for the job and would be excellent. Others have mentioned Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who has the experience and the motivation to tear things down. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) checks every box, too, if he's willing to consider taking the job.
All of this is going to work out, and I don't see Trump going soft on his promise to fundamentally change the DOJ. Whoever is nominated next will be on board with that pursuit, and I'm confident heads will still roll. This is just a minor detour, and it's better it happened now than after Trump takes office.
I read that the same old suspects, Collins and Murkowski, said no to Gaetz. They are women who are squishy and love to wield power as the Republican feminist conscience; and Gaetz apparently has some sex scandals in his closet. Nearly every Congressman has some skeletons they want to keep hidden. Democrats by and large don't care - for them a scandal can be a resume enhancer with their base. Republicans, nearly always bent on self-immolation of some kind, will fold at the slightest indication that a fight may be necessary. And if you are going to fight, why do it over Gaetz, who sunk McCarthy (and sadly stuck us with the even worse Johnson)?
It's easy for Trump to recover from this. First, appoint someone who's a better lawyer than Gaetz and will still clean house at the DOJ. And then tell Thune to inform his women that they got their scalp and there will be no more, or they will be washing laundry on some useless, no-name Senate committees. Or better yet, those two can become Democrats, where no one will care what they think.
Since Gaetz, to my understanding, resigned his House seat what happens now?
Is DeSantis likely to appoint him to Rubio seat?
Or does Gaetz somehow get his House seat back?