Trump candidate Gaetz is mired in scandals – can this prevent the nomination?

FR Trump candidate Gaetz is drowning in scandals - can this prevent the nomination? Lea Winkler • 10 hours • 3 minutes reading time "That was for sex" Trump has nominated Matt Gaetz as Attorney General - but more and more scandals are popping up around the already controversial MP. Washington, D.C. - Donald Trump's choice of personnel for his cabinet has caused a big stir. Within his party, voices against Trump's candidate are growing. The favorite for the Attorney General post, Matt Gaetz, is arousing particular displeasure among party colleagues. The ultra-right hardliner is unsuitable. Republican Senator Susan Collins said she was "shocked" by Trump's decision. Her party colleague Lisa Murkowski expressed strong doubts that Gaetz would receive enough votes in the Senate for confirmation. Matt Gaetz unsuitable as US Attorney General: Hardly any legal experience David Lat, a former federal prosecutor and legal commentator, also expressed criticism of Gaetz's nomination in his blog Original Jurisdiction. Lat pointed out that Gaetz has no significant legal experience. He has never served as a federal prosecutor and only practiced for about two years in a small law firm in Florida. However, the controversies surrounding Gaetz go far beyond his professional qualifications - they are mainly characterized by serious personal scandals. "Gaetz's greatest experience with the Justice Department seems to be that he was a target," wrote Lat. Scandals surrounding Trump's candidates: US Congressional Ethics Committee investigated Gaetz Gaetz is not only accused of illegal drug use, but also of sexual relations with minors and embezzlement of campaign funds. The US Congressional Ethics Committee launched an investigation against him in March 2021 after serious allegations became public. After Gaetz was named as Trump's nominee for Attorney General last week, he immediately resigned from his seat in the House of Representatives, thereby removing the Ethics Committee's jurisdiction over his case. Nevertheless, some Republicans are now demanding that the investigation report be made public. Republican strategist Scott Jennings pointed out during a CNN broadcast that details of the investigation will leak out anyway. "It's very likely that they will come to light," he said. Gaetz is accused of sexual misconduct by several women Joel Leppard, a lawyer who represents several women who accuse Gaetz of sexual misconduct, recently stated in an interview with ABC News that two of his clients had testified that Gaetz paid them for sex. In another interview, the lawyer reiterated his statements. When asked whether "your two clients testified that they were paid for sex by Congressman Gaetz?" Leppard replied, "That's correct. The House of Representatives was very clear on this and went through every single case. They basically showed the Venmo payments on the screen and asked about them. And my clients repeatedly testified, 'What was this payment for?' 'It was for sex.'" Leppard had also stated that one of his clients had also seen Gaetz having sex with a minor. Republican party colleagues have also accused Gaetz of this. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Gaetz "slept with a 17-year-old," and Senator Markwayne Mullin, a former colleague of Gaetz in the House of Representatives, said Gaetz showed videos of "girls he had slept with" in the House chamber. Gaetz has denied these allegations. Matt Gaetz as US Attorney General: Can the Democrats still prevent his confirmation? Gaetz has not yet been officially confirmed for the office of Attorney General. The Senate Judiciary Committee must first discuss Gaetz's nomination. Lat suggested that Democrats in the committee ask Gaetz quick questions about substantive law. Lat said it would be helpful to let Gaetz get caught up in explanations, which would offer the best chance of torpedoing his nomination. Lat also advised Democrats to put pressure on Gaetz, especially with regard to the Republican senators he has attacked over the years - including those whose votes he now urgently needs. However, there is a possibility that Gaetz will not even need to be confirmed by the Senate. Instead, Trump could resort to so-called recess appointments, a constitutional device that allows the president to fill certain positions during recesses in the Senate.