Gaetz withdraws from Attorney General nomination process

Photo: Gage Skidmore via Flickr (licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

I’ll be blunt. The news of Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal from consideration in the Attorney General nomination process is a relief. Our Nation’s Attorney General must be a person of impeccable character. While I can appreciate the hazards that false allegations could present in these scenarios, there was far too much smoke around Gaetz to not seriously question his character.

It’s apparent that the handful of face-to-face meetings Gaetz had with senators at the Capitol yesterday were “informative.” The meetings, brokered by Vice President-Elect JD Vance, were reportedly held to shore up support for Gaetz. Less than 24 hours later, Gaetz withdrew from consideration, something that would not likely have happened if the message from the senators had been positive.

It should not be lost on anyone that the Senate rejected President-Elect Trump’s pick for Senate Majority Leader. That man, Senator Rick Scott reportedly received just 14 votes. South Dakota’s John Thune received the nod from his fellow senators. Thune is a man of honor, and he’ll provide for a healthy check and balance in Washington DC.

The President-Elect would be wise to recognize and respect the message sent by all of this. He’d also be wise to not stray too far from the quiet but steady advisor who has been credited with his re-election: Susie Wiles his Chief of Staff. Gaetz’s nomination and the ensuing fallout was a massive unforced error, one that I’ve read Wiles was not a part of. 

We should all want success in the next four years. Gaetz’s withdrawal from consideration offers President-Elect Trump an opportunity for a win — by nominating a candidate worthy of our nation’s top law enforcement position.

That selection is important closer to home too. It will have a direct impact on who leads our US Attorney’s Office in Minnesota. That office, under the leadership of Andrew Lugar, has been one of the few bright spots in the fight against crime in Minnesota in recent years. We’d be fortunate to retain Mr. Lugar — something that most certainly wouldn’t have happened under Gaetz.

Let’s get back to focusing on success.