President Donald Trump sent shockwaves through Washington D.C. by announcing Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) as his pick for U.S. attorney general.
In the wake of the announcement, Gaetz has already resigned from Congress.
The selection of Gaetz came just days before a House Ethics Committee vote regarding allegations he faced.
Gaetz’s opponents have accused him of “sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, accepting improper gifts, obstruction, and other allegations,” NBC News reported.
Shortly after news of Trump’s choice hit the headlines, Gaetz announced his resignation from Congress.
By stepping down as a congressman, he effectively shut down the House Ethics Committee investigation.
However, Gaetz still needs to be confirmed in the Senate.
Even though Republicans will now control the upper chamber, some top GOP Senate leaders want additional details about the probe into Gaetz before giving him their blessing to lead the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Given that the House Ethics Committee only has jurisdiction over sitting members of Congress, Gaetz’s sudden resignation killed the investigation, which has been ongoing since 2021.
NBC News noted:
Many Republican senators, including members of the GOP-led Judiciary Committee that will oversee Gaetz’s nomination for attorney general, said they’ll want to see the details of the House Ethics investigation into Gaetz.
“I think it would be helpful,” said Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA).
Other top GOP senators agreed.
Sen.-elect John Curtis, a Republican from Utah, said:
“I don’t know the technicalities, or whether or not we would see that, but I think that would be very relevant.”
Curtis added that he would “absolutely” like to know more details about the House investigation, if possible.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who was one of the top choices to replace Mitch McConnell as the Senate GOP leader, revealed that he’s open to issuing a subpoena to garner details of the House Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz.
“We need to have a complete vetting of the nominees, not only so we know that the nominee is qualified, but also to protect the president,” Cornyn said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) expressed concern over the Senate issuing a subpoena to a House committee.
“I’d go ape s— if they tried to subpoena something over here,” Graham said, implying that the matter could become complicated quickly.
Meanwhile, political observers are split on Gaetz’s overall chances of being confirmed, even with a Republican-controlled upper chamber.
Some believe that Trump’s pull will get him through.
However, others believe he has too much of a past and not the best reputation in Congress.
Only time will tell.
READ MORE – Obama Set Precedent for Trump to Use Recess Appointments
