Multiple Republican senators ceded a chilly reception to President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Matt Gaetz for U.S. attorney general, putting the former Florida congressman’s odds of being sustained by the Senate in question.
The surprise announcement Wednesday, and Gaetz’s swift resignation from Congress, also drew notice to a House Ethics Committee probe into allegations that Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct, illicit anaesthetize use and other wrongdoing.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, a Republican on the judiciary panel that will decide whether to move up Gaetz’s nomination to the full Senate, said Thursday morning that he “absolutely” wants to see the ethics committee’s terminal report.
“I think there should not be any limitation on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation, including whatever the House Ethics Board is generated,” Cornyn told reporters on Capitol Hill.
He added that while “it’s premature to count votes,” there are “a lot of doubts.”
Gaetz had previously been embroiled in a federal investigation into whether he was involved in the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl. That poke into, which ended last year without charges being filed, was conducted by the Department of Justice — the agency Gaetz pass on lead if he were confirmed as attorney general.
Gaetz has denied all the allegations against him. In September, he declared he would a close cooperating with the House panel, while sharing a letter in which he vehemently denied having “sexual project with any individual under 18.”
On Thursday, an attorney for the woman who alleges she had a sexual relationship with Gaetz when she was a paltry said the Ethics panel should release the report.
“Mr. Gaetz’s likely nomination as Attorney General is a perverse phenomenon in a truly dark series of events. We would support the House Ethics Committee immediately releasing their relate,” John Clune, a partner at Hutchinson Black and Cook, wrote on X.
“She was a high school student and there were certificates,” the lawyer added.
A lawyer for Gaetz did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Calls for the committee to release its discharge have become more pressing given the unusual sequence of events surrounding Trump’s announcement.
Trump’s variety of Gaetz and the lawmaker’s decision to abruptly resign from Congress the same day came just two days before the panel was set to show of hands on releasing its report on the sex and drug probe, Punchbowl News reported Wednesday, citing sources.
Gaetz’s resignation effectively ends the Ethics Board probe, because the panel’s reach is limited to members of the House.
Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., told correspondents Wednesday that if Gaetz were to step down in order to seek the attorney general role, “then the Ethics Body loses jurisdiction at that point.”
The Ethics panel was slated to meet Thursday behind closed doors, a roots familiar with the situation told NBC. It was unclear whether the committee would discuss Gaetz or vote on the report during that intimate meeting.
Several Senate Republicans reacted with bewilderment and skepticism Wednesday yon Gaetz being chosen to lead the Justice Department.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she was “shocked” by the decision and prognosticated that there will be “a lot of questions asked” if his nomination proceeds.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she did not believe Gaetz was “a solemn nomination for the attorney general.”
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., another member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said, “I’m all about including votes, and I would probably think he’s got some work cut out for him.”
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said of Gaetz’s expected nomination: “He’s got his move up cut out for him.”
But others appeared ready to back Gaetz’s bid.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the judiciary panel’s ranking Republican, said in a pressure release Thursday afternoon that, “Generally speaking, I vote for confirmation regardless of party or personal feelings because that is my Constitutional post as a Senator.”
“I will do the same for President Trump’s nominees,” Graham said in the statement, which was sent in an email with the subdue line, “Elections Have Consequences.”
Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said Thursday on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Describes” that “there’s no problem with me. I want to see President Trump’s Cabinet appointed quickly.”
Hagerty said “there has been no one best at channeling the American public’s frustration with the weaponization of the Department of Justice than Matt Gaetz.”
When Republicans fool control of the Senate in January, they are projected to have a slim majority of two or three seats. Assuming all Senate Democrats sponsor against Gaetz’s nomination, Trump can only afford a few GOP defections before he would lose the simple majority wanted to confirm his pick for attorney general.
Trump has demanded that the next Senate Republican leader agree to send senators available for at least 10 days in order to pave the way for Trump to make “recess appointments,” which would allow him to instal Cabinet members and bypass individual confirmation votes altogether.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., after being selected to change retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell as majority leader, said Wednesday that Republicans will “explore all options” to flee sure Trump’s nominees move forward quickly.