Trump is playing 4-D chess with his cabinet picks

Editorial Fellow | David Chung

How the Gaetz nomination was a win-win for the President-Elect

Once again, President-Elect Donald Trump is playing 4-D chess while the rest of us are playing checkers. Trump likes to shake things up and challenge the status quo. One of Trump’s most controversial cabinet picks has been Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general.

Full disclosure: I have never really been a Gaetz fan. Last fall, Gaetz led the insurgency in the U.S. House that ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy, eventually resulting in Mike Johnson becoming Speaker. McCarthy’s sin? He reached across the aisle and worked with Democrats to reach a compromise and prevent a government shutdown. So, Gaetz led a group of eight Republicans who reached across the aisle and got all of the House Democrats to join them in voting McCarthy out. As a result, the House was without a speaker for twenty-one days.

Gaetz’s nomination was somewhat problematic from the beginning. He was the subject of a multiyear federal investigation into sex trafficking. However, it is important to point out that the matter is closed, and Biden’s Department of Justice declined to file charges. Likewise, the House Ethics Committee was investigating Gaetz. In a press release, they wrote:

Accordingly, the Committee is reviewing allegations pursuant to Committee Rules 14(a)(3) and 18(a) that Rep. 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 of his conduct. The Committee will take no further action at this time on the allegations that he may have shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe or improper gratuity.

The Ethics Committee investigation was ongoing when Trump announced that he had nominated Gaetz for attorney general. Gaetz’s nomination took most people by surprise.

After Gaetz was nominated, he resigned his congressional seat to prepare for the confirmation process. Since Gaetz resigned from the House, the House Ethics Committee no longer had jurisdiction to investigate him. While there were calls to release the ethics report, Speaker Johnson urged them not to, and the committee voted along party lines not to release the report.

Early last week, Vice President-Elect JD Vance, a senator from Ohio, introduced Gaetz to Senators who would vote on his nomination. While Trump had not explicitly backed a candidate for Majority Leader, Elon Musk’s endorsement of Rick Scott hinted at his support. By choosing John Thune as Majority leader, Senate Republicans showed that while they still support the president-elect, they want to maintain their independence. Most observers agree that the Senate would have been unlikely to confirm Gaetz as attorney general. On Thursday, Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration.

This is a perfect example of Trump playing 4-D chess. Matt Gaetz is a Trump loyalist, and even being nominated for attorney general was an honor. The nomination gave Trump the opportunity to reward a loyal supporter. It also gave Gaetz the opportunity to leave Congress on his own terms right before the ethics report was going to be released. By deciding not to pursue the nomination, Gaetz (and the Trump administration) are spared going through what could have been an ugly confirmation process. I really believe that Trump never actually expected Gaetz to serve as attorney general.

There are other benefits of the short-lived Gaetz nomination. When Gaetz withdrew, Trump was able to nominate former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi for the position. Bondi was on the defense team in Trump’s first impeachment trial and has been involved in several conservative causes over the years. I suspect that Bondi was Trump’s actual choice from the beginning.

Another benefit is that Gov. Ron DeSantis has called for a special election to fill Geatz’s vacant seat on April 1st. Gaetz is from the most bright red Republican house district in Florida. So, it is almost certain that Gaetz will be replaced by another conservative Republican.

So, in summary: Trump honors Gaetz with the AG nomination, Gaetz resigns his house seat, the House Ethics Committee buries their report, Gaetz withdraws his name, there is no confirmation hearing, Pam Bondi gets the nomination, and Florida’s 1st Congressional District will send another conservative Republican to Congress.

To me, that’s a win-win. The only thing that would have made this better would have been if Trump had nominated former acting attorney general and Iowan, Matt Whittaker for the position!

David Chung is a Gazette editorial fellow. david.chung@thegazette.com