A classic here today/gone tomorrow.
Yesterday Matt Gaetz, having resigned from the House of Representatives in anticipation of becoming our next Attorney General, was assuring us that he would fight to the end to be confirmed.
Today – literally one day later – Gaetz has withdrawn his name from consideration…and, if the report I heard is correct, will be trying to reverse his resignation and stay in the House.
What happened?
I suppose we’ll find out in the next few days. But, in the absence of knowing for sure, I’d say it was a good bet that Gaetz was told there is no way he could be confirmed, so he’s cutting out before the vote takes place. That way he isn’t publicly humiliated and, if he can stay in the house, loses nothing.
Last week I blogged this about Gaetz’s proposed appointment:
Gaetz does not have the academic credentials or the legal credentials or the experience or the temperament or the political standing nor the acceptable political positions to be Attorney General.
I hope – don’t know, of course, but hope – that this is nothing more than Donald Trump’s sop to the hard right. That after Gaetz is rejected by the senate (even if it we’re talking about the newly constructed Republican majority senate I would expect a rejection), Trump can say something like “See, I tried”. This, presumably, would make the far right wing of his party feel good about him without actually getting anything out of it.
Is that what is happening? Has this always been a for-show appointment, doomed from the start, that enabled Trump to make points with his right flank without actually having to come across – i.e. essentially to have his political cake and eat it?
I wonder if we’ll ever know.
