Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton is not a fan of the 45th and 47th president’s pick for Attorney General.
“Gaetz must be the worst nomination for a cabinet position in American history,” Bolton posted on X. “This is something that falls well outside the proper scope of deference to a President nominating members of his senior team. Gaetz is not only totally incompetent for this job, he doesn’t have [sic] character or the civic virtue the Founding Fathers wanted. The Republican party should oppose this nomination.”
He took his comments even further on the NewsNation’s television program The Hill. Bolton said Gaetz and other Trump nominees should not receive their Senate confirmation hearings until they have been investigated by the FBI. He said this would be important for defending national security.
In this interview, he reiterated the point that Gaetz is the “worst Cabinet appointment in recent American history.”
In another interview on November 14 with Meet The Press NOW, Bolton reportedly made the same case.
Bolton is not Gaetz’s only detractor. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, speaking to Bloomberg about the various Trump Cabinet nominations, said, “The choices are very good so far, except one.”
“Gaetz won’t get confirmed. Everybody knows that,” he said.
McCarthy and Gaetz have long been political enemies. The animosity between the two congressmen boiled over when Gaetz brought the motion to vacate that ultimately saw McCarthy discharged as Speaker and replaced with Mike Johnson (R-LA) in 2023.
Later, McCarthy resigned from Congress.
Gaetz too resigned, just hours after his nomination was announced.
Some senators have been quick to endorse the idea of Attorney General Gaetz.
“Trump was elected to turn this place upside down. Americans don’t trust the Justice Department right now and Matt has the talent to go in there and make a difference,” Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) told Fox Business.
“Who better to take on the weaponization of the government than somebody who’s had the government WEAPONIZED against them,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) told Glenn Beck’s radio program.
Gaetz had been investigated by the Department of Justice for human trafficking violations. However, charges were never brought against the congressman.
Gaetz’s nomination will need to be approved by a majority of the Senate. In the next congress, the upper legislative chamber will be controlled by a 53-seat Republican majority.