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

Vaseline November 13, 2024

Donald Trump is doing exactly what his opponents warned about before his election, which does not bode well for America.

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

Trump has Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz nominated for attorney general; Former Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard Named Director of National Intelligence; and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

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

Americans should be concerned about Trump’s Cabinet nominations

Call me naive, but I’m skeptical that Trump can get 50 Senate Republicans to confirm the most outrageous 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 the Gaetz nomination. “We need a serious attorney general.”

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

The Republican Party can only afford four defectors, and with Collins and Murkowski already opposed to certain selections, Trump’s margin for error in his choices is slim.

Maybe the warning signs about Trump and his new administration were right

Yet the fact that he is trying to force through underqualified nominees who have an undying loyalty to him is right in line with warnings about a second Trump administration. Trump is doing exactly what his opponents warned about before his election, which does not bode well for America.

Trump has also proposed a plan to abuse recess appointments, which are used to fill vacancies when the Senate is in recess, to fill his Cabinet while undermining the Senate’s traditional confirmation process. This process would allow these appointees to remain until the end of this Congress, which is two years away.

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

Senate Republicans have a tall order to protect the checks and balances of our system as Trump actively seeks to undermine them. I hope they hold out, at least the four needed to block the move, along with these ridiculous nominees.

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