A Wrecking Ball in Human Form

By Loki Studio @Adobe Stock

Gaetz Would Use the Law for Political Revenge

Donald Trump is looking to nominate the “most hated man in Congress:” Matt Gaetz (R. FL) is Trump’s pick for the AG nomination, a good choice for those who want the law used for political revenge.

So far, Donald Trump’s cabinet looks to be staged with good people who will make voters happy they returned Trump to the White House. However, as Kimberley Strassel argues in the WSJ, Trump’s nominee for AG is a bad choice that would undermine confidence in the law.

Put aside other unsavory issues, and you still have Matt Gaetz, the performer and provocateur, who thinks the more explosions he can cause, the more attention he can get. “It’s impossible to get canceled if you’re on every channel,” Gaetz once said. “If you aren’t making news, you aren’t governing.”

Andrew McCarthy, writing at NRO, lists examples relating to Gaetz and the Capital Riot, where Gaetz is being either “incredibly cynical or utterly incapable of grasping reality and applying basic criminal-law principles (no one gets entrapped into crimes of violence).” In any event, McCarthy’s view is that Gaetz is not AG material.

The Justice Department does have huge problems that must be fixed, continues Mr. McCarthy:

Much of what must be done will require legislation, which means there would have to be some Democratic buy-in. Trump needs a strong, experienced hand who is widely respected for his or her legal acumen and bureaucratic know-how — specifically in the Justice Department, which is certain to chew up and spit out an outsider who doesn’t know how the place works and how veteran adversaries can sabotage a novice.

Although the Justice Department investigated Mr. Gaetz for possible sex trafficking, it didn’t bring charges against him. Gaetz was implicated but never charged.

This summer the ethics committee said its preliminary subpoenas and witnesses suggest “certain” allegations “merit continued review.” It is looking into claims that Mr. Gaetz may have “engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations.”

Should President-elect Trump continue insisting the Gaetz nomination, it will only ignite GOP infighting and help reeling Democrats find their footing, laments Andrew McCarthy.