On Gaetz, the Senate did its job. It has more work to do on Trump’s nominees.

The Washington Post ^ | November 22, 2024 at 4:19 p.m. EST | Editorial Board

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The Senate did its job.

Former congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) will not become attorney general, withdrawing from consideration this week after he spent a day on Capitol Hill learning that at least four Republicans would oppose his nomination — enough to tank it on the Senate floor.

On the most basic level, this shows that President-elect Donald Trump feels constrained by the constitutional order. It also suggests that enough Republicans will refuse to let him make “recess appointments” — a maneuver of questionable constitutionality that would have allowed Mr. Trump to install high executive branch officers without Senate consent, at least in extreme circumstances such as Mr. Gaetz’s nomination. And it indicates that there is a decisive bloc of GOP senators who still take seriously the chamber’s responsibility to advise and consent on presidential nominees. Mr. Trump won election fair and square. But so did those who sit in Congress. He cannot do whatever he likes.

Mr. Trump has privately told allies that he hopes Mr. Gaetz’s failure will ease confirmation of other controversial nominees. It should do the opposite, steeling senators to conduct the scrutiny required of Mr. Trump’s remaining picks. Several are plainly unworthy of high office.

Mr. Trump’s defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, denies sexually assaulting a woman in California in 2017 and was never charged criminally, although he paid her to sign a nondisclosure agreement. This history raises questions about how he would handle sexual assault in the military. Mr. Hegseth, as a Fox News host, also urged Mr. Trump to grant executive clemency to three U.S. service personnel accused or convicted of war crimes. He also lacks relevant experience running major enterprises such as the Defense Department...

[iamgalt]

I think more like 6-8 hard unshakeable no’s. I hope Thune and his little rino’s like having the leftist creeps at WasPos praising them, nice job traitors

[stanne]

Gaetz doesn’t have the authority to designate the senates job

It was gossip and underhanded

Whether he was right or not to drop out under those circumstances and whether there was no hope, this was not as the headline states, the senate’s job

A more appropriate headline, a more truthful one would be, the senate’s job hates Trump and rightfully rejected Gaetz long before the next GOP senate convenes

[LegendHasIt]

It is true:

If you consider that the Senate’s job is to protect the Deep State and their own phony baloney jobs.

[Starboard]

On the Washington Post, democracy dies in bias, lies and propaganda.

[vivenne]

I have no idea what you are saying.

[GOPJ]

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/4280749/posts

You’ll enjoy this one...

[WeaslesRippedMyFlesh]

The WoPo editorial board.

That’s like super saturated stupid water.

Hey, what happened to Jennifer Rubin?

Didn’t she snap from all the lying?

Hey WoPo, nobody buys your BS anymore.

[stanne]

I’m saying that this newspaper is working alongside the horrible GOP senate in saying it did its job because they all hate Trump and whomever he wants to pick

[frog in a pot]

Oh. The senate knows there’s a street fight. They’re principals in it

Then let's hope and expect that the entire Trump admin will recognize them as such and put them at the head of its list.

Let's be the first to call it like it is: Anti-MAGA's by definition are "domestic enemies".

[vivenne]

Ah, yes. Totally agree. Thanks for clarifying.