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Trump nominates Gaetz for AG. He’s a terrible choice

by November 13, 2024

Donald Trump is doing exactly what his critics warned before he was elected, which is not a good sign for America.

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Donald Trump’s nominations for his first run into the White House weren’t exactly top-notch choices, but this time they’re in a terrible league of their own.

Trump nominated Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general; Tulsi Gabbard, a former congresswoman from Hawaii, as director of national intelligence; and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

I can’t imagine a worse candidate for attorney general than Gaetz. He is not qualified for this position, but neither are many of Trump’s other nominees. The only trait that seems to matter is their loyalty to Trump. It’s up to the other Republicans to hold the line.

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Call me naive, but I’m skeptical that Trump can get 50 Senate Republicans to confirm the most egregious of these nominations, especially Gaetz and Gabbard.

Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, two historically moderate senators, have already spoken out against Gaetz’s nomination.

“I don’t think this is a serious nomination for attorney general,” Murkowski said when asked about Gaetz’s nomination. “We need a serious attorney general.”

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Collins said she was “shocked” by Gaetz’s nomination and reiterated that “that’s why the Senate’s deliberation and consent process is so important.” Collins expects “a lot” of questions during the Gaetz nomination process.

Republicans can only afford four defections, and with Collins and Murkowski already in opposition in certain elections, Trump’s margin for error in his decisions is slim.

Perhaps the warning signs about Trump and his new administration were correct

Still, the fact that he is trying to push through underqualified candidates with undying loyalty to him fits neatly with warnings about a second Trump administration. Trump is doing exactly what his critics warned he would do before he was elected, which is not a good sign for America.

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Trump has also proposed a plan to abuse recess appointments, which fill vacancies during the Senate recess, to fill his Cabinet while undermining the Senate’s traditional confirmation process. This process would allow these appointees to stay until the end of this Congress, two years from now.

Even conservative constitutional scholars are skeptical of the value of this proposal, and it would require complacency from Senate Republicans.

Senate Republicans have a big job protecting our system’s separation of powers as Trump actively seeks to undermine it. I hope they stand firm, at least the four needed to stop the move, along with these ridiculous candidates.

Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.

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