WATCH: Jake Tapper Left Utterly Stunned By Trump’s Nomination Of Matt Gaetz For AG
In an extraordinary twist that shook the political landscape on Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz for Attorney General left CNN anchor Jake Tapper visibly stunned during a live broadcast. The announcement, which came amidst ongoing post-election turbulence, underscored Trump’s unorthodox approach to assembling his prospective cabinet as he gears up for a return to the White House in 2025.
Gaetz, a staunch Trump ally and frequent critic of the Department of Justice, has long been a lightning rod for controversy. His nomination is widely seen as a declaration of Trump’s intent to radically reshape the Justice Department, which he has repeatedly accused of political bias.
“Welcome to The Lead, I’m Jake Tapper. And let me begin the show by uttering some words that I never contemplated using together before. And those words are: U.S. Attorney General Matt Gaetz,” Tapper said. “Because if you were wondering what Trump without the guardrails looks like, well, we’re getting an idea beyond the theoretical. We are starting with breaking news on so many fronts related to President-elect Donald Trump’s transition.”
Nobody is threatened by this pick more than Tapper, who was intimately involved in the corrupt and illegal Russian collusion hoax run by DOJ. https://t.co/Ksj7iFqK3o
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) November 13, 2024
“It is my Great Honor to announce that Congressman Matt Gaetz, of Florida, is hereby nominated to be The Attorney General of the United States,” Trump announced. He lauded Gaetz as a “deeply gifted and tenacious attorney” and highlighted his legal training at the College of William & Mary as well as his tenure on the House Judiciary Committee in the glowing statement.
Gaetz, a staunch Trump ally and a polarizing figure in Congress, has earned a reputation for his fiery rhetoric and aggressive stance on Justice Department oversight. Trump reinforced Gaetz’s role in exposing “systemic Government Corruption and Weaponization,” and is confident that Gaetz will lead efforts to “end the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System.”
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“This is a crazy pick,” said CNN’s Elie Honig. “This is dangerous pick. I wish it was a gentle way to say it but there’s there’s no use missing words, I was a prosecutor for a long time.”
“He will never get confirmed,” a Republican senator, who spoke to Fox News on the condition of anonymity, said. Meanwhile, a source from the Senate Republicans succinctly said, “Ain’t gonna happen,” when asked about the likelihood of Gaetz’s confirmation.
Gaetz’s nomination faces an uncertain path to Senate confirmation, with Republicans set to hold a slim 3-seat majority. While Trump remains a dominant force in GOP politics, moderate Republicans could balk at confirming such a divisive figure. The nomination is expected to set up a bruising confirmation battle in the Senate, where Gaetz’s polarizing reputation will likely face intense scrutiny. Analysts predict that the process will be a litmus test for the broader Republican strategy under Trump’s renewed leadership.
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