Don’t Mistake the Gaetz Nomination for a Misstep
Matt Gaetz never served as attorney general, but his nomination served many purposes. How can this seeming circle be squared? Simply look closely at all involved — from Trump to Gaetz to many others — and you will find many beneficiaries. In short, it would be a mistake to assume that this early step was simply a misstep.
Matt Gaetz’s nomination set off an immediate firestorm. Jaws dropped. Democrats flipped. After all, this was the same congressman who was still under investigation by the House Ethics Committee and had been by the Department of Justice. The charges were salacious to say the least. Nor was Gaetz’s baggage all personal — he also carried much from having toppled Kevin McCarthy from the Speakership and thrown the House into prolonged turmoil.
Critics immediately harkened back to 2016, when in the wake of Trump’s surprise victory, they insisted that he was not up to the task of governing. Today’s critics would be well disposed to take a close look at the players and how the Gaetz nomination played out.
Counterintuitive as it may seem, Gaetz benefited from this. His nomination ended the House Ethics Committee probe. Clearly, as his nomination withdrawal proves, the probe’s details were going to be damaging. His nomination gave him the best possible cover to “get while the getting was good.” He did so by receiving a promotion. Certainly, there were some leaks of the probe’s details, but these were far less than what would have occurred if a full report had been released.
Trump benefitted too. Gaetz’s nomination put an exclamation mark on the point all of his administration picks have made: Loyalty is paramount. Gaetz’s nomination underscored that nothing outweighs this. Nor will that message be lost on those remaining and those yet to come.
Trump got to make his point without paying a price for it. His transition ratings, even with the Gaetz nomination, are higher than his popular vote victory and his opposition less. Nor will Trump have to live with it: Gaetz is gone.
Trump also communicated that disruption is his goal. Gaetz’s nomination didn’t just make that point — it was the point. Nor was it an accident that Trump made this point with the Department of Justice, which has been used as a weapon against him.
Speaker Johnson benefitted as well. He faces a razor-thin majority and the job of shepherding a contentious agenda. He can ill afford losing someone in the heat of legislative battle. Gaetz’s withdrawal from the House and the nomination allows for as close to an orchestrated replacement as possible — in a seat Gaetz won by over 30 percentage points. It also removes someone Johnson would certainly have had doubts about — witness again, what happened to his predecessor.
The Senate’s more moderate Republicans also benefitted. They have gotten to voice their opinions, thereby showing their independence. Yet they never had to cast a vote against Trump’s nominee — thereby alienating that important base. Having taken their stand, they can now more easily go along with Trump on more important matters.
Trump’s other nominees also came out ahead. The fire Gaetz took is fire that was diverted from them. And while the establishment media and Democrats have unlimited fire to train on Trump, the public has only so much attention span. For most Americans, the most controversial nominee is gone, and their interest will similarly follow. For the public, hearing the same drumbeat continually in the same cadence soon becomes “white noise.” Until it is no noise at all. Attempts to go after other Trump nominees are therefore less likely to succeed precisely because they seemingly succeeded with Gaetz.
And yes, Trump won at the Department of Justice. In fact, he probably won most of all there. If there were any doubts that he was coming to disrupt the way things have been done, even the insulated Department of Justice can no longer have them. While they still do not know who to prepare for, they know beyond doubt what to prepare for. A rush to the exits only vindicates Trump and leaves openings for him to fill.
The Gaetz nomination and his subsequent withdrawal shows that Trump did not run to become commander-in-chief. He ran to become disruptor-in-chief. He is doing that. Already. Two months before he takes office. His transition has been the political version of shock and awe.
Trump has four years in office. He intends to make the most of them. The Gaetz nomination proves that. And it did not cost Trump anything.
J.T. Young is the author of the new book, Unprecedented Assault: How Big Government Unleashed America’s Socialist Left, from RealClear Publishing and has over three decades’ experience working in Congress, Department of Treasury, and OMB, and representing a Fortune 20 company.
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