as you say, matt gaetz _ choice of matt gaetz? as you say, matt gaetz is _ choice of matt gaetz?y, matt gaetz is a - choice of matt gaetz? as you i say, matt gaetz is a somewhat divisive figure within the republican party. he is a maga loyalist and for example voted to overturn the 2020 election result, and spoke for donald trump after the right on january six. and he helped fire the speaker of the house. he is also subject of an ethics investigation over allegations of illicit drug use and sex trafficking allegation, allegations that i should stress matt gaetz has always denied. it raises questions whether he will get confirmed because donald trump's nominations have to be confirmed by the upper chamber, the senate, and if they hold a very slim majority in the senate and with matt gaetz being such a divisive figure, there are questions whether he will get the votes needed. that would be an open question. one person who was quoted said make sure you have your popcorn ready because it will be worth the watch. ready because it will be worth the wa after the right trump after the ri

the house ethics report on matt gaetz. r understandable reasons the norm is that such ethics inquiries are closed quietly if lawmakers step down. mr. gaetz operably quit last week hours after mr. trump announced his nomination for ag. the committee was dazed from releasing its investigation -- days from releasing its investigation. it's one thing when the lawmaker resigns and goes back to private life. this looks more like an effort to dodge accountability by getting a promotion. thank you want to say this. even without the house report, the senate could call the same witnesses to testify as senator john cornyn, a republican of texas, suggested this week. "in order to do our job we need to get access to all the information. but also to protect the president against any surprises that might damage his administration. the senate would be justified in sticking to that line, whatever the political pressures mr. trump might bring to bear for a speedy gaetz confirmation." there are other republican senators you say they should be

matt gaetz saying he cut his losses on about nomination, and in the end, this will help him. his confirmation by the senate was serious and doubt, although he denies wrongdoing. there are claims mr. gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old in 2016, and embarrassing spectacle for trump. there are gop senators in swing states that would have thrown back at him with attack ads in 2026 or 2028. adding, maybe there would be a fair hearing but not a complete pass. that is the wall street journal this morning on the events of yesterday. we will hear from rob in michigan on the events of yesterday. caller: good morning. my concern is that the next nominee, who i hope does not undergo the accusations about her sex life and what she has done in the past, the democrats have shown a penchant for accusing brett kavanaugh, and they invented their story because they really hated donald trump and they wanted to damage people's reputation. they're going to harm their family and even call for attacks on their children. i'm not a fan of gaetz at all. but the idea that we can just accuse him and use 17-y

attorney general matt gaetz. if you were wondering what trump without the guardrails looked like, well, we're getting an idea beyond the theoretical. we're starting with breaking news on so many fronts related to president- elect donald trump. trump announced just minutes ago on truth social that he is picking republican congressman matt gaetz of florida to be the next u.s. attorney general. gaetz is currently facing a house ethics committee investigation over whether he may have, and i should note before i even outline the charges, gaetz denies it all. the house ethics committee in a statement this year said they're looking into whether he may have, quote, engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispatched gifts and favors with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct. unquote. again, he denies it all. gaetz also famously led the movement to oust house speaker kevin mccarthy. in that post on truth social, trump said m

is this the kind of person, matt gaetz, jeffrey clark, thank you. his the kind of person gaetz that would result in a number of important people, the people that make the place run at doj, saying, no, i can't be a part of this, i'm gonna walk? >> well, that issue of whether you stay or whether you walk is a complicated one. it's certainly, i think, for people who are serious people, who, as i said, are used to the idea that they, you know, elections have consequences and policy positions can change. it will cause concern though that this is somebody who is going to ask them to do things that either are just so extreme that they can't agree as a policy matter, then it's their choice to leave, or ask them to do things that are simply unsupported by the facts. so that -- your example of january 6th is a really good one because you had people who were trump appointees saying we cannot do this. you had the acting attorney general, you had the acting deputy attorney general, you had the head of the office of legal counsel, sort of three of the most promine

matt gaetz. of course we are not surprised that he picked matt gaetz and we won't be surprised who he picks after matt gaetz. now, the second piece of this, he made it clear. i don't want my nominees to have an fbi check. why do you think he said that? and then why you do think republicans were doing the backstroke to figure out a way so he could do that with the recess appointments. john tlooun, the majority leader for 30 seconds, we will take a look at that. yes. >> let me throw -- >> we'll -- >> i feel like i'm throwing in -- and you are dunking. we like that. here is another item for you to grab a hold of. republicans, nbc news reports as many as 30, that would be the majority of the republican senate caucus, told nbc at least 20, as many as 30 were uncomfortable with having to vote for gaetz on the senate floor. the wording matters. they weren't even claiming some deep principle opposition, but saying, please don't make them stand with this guy. does that also look to you like there is a lin

a year ago, matt gaetz said, the world is not ready for an attorney general matt gaetz. >> you never know, david. there may be an attorney general matt gaetz down the road. who will be there to actually enforce the law and provide the accountability. not just the vision, but the actual accountability, the people that are sending you those messages deserve that in a free and just and constitutional republic. >> we absolutely do, and i like that. attorney general matt gaetz. are you kidding me? >> the world is not ready. certainly senate confirmation would not be. >> punch bowl news is reporting that the ethics committee was going to vote on friday. that is two days from now. on releasing a report of its investigation of matt gaetz. that vote might never take place, and that report might never be seen. but between that confirmation, every reporter in washington will be trying to get a leaked copy of that report. to protect matt gaetz, every republican member of the house will have to defend, suppressing that ethics committee report. every republican senator who wants to vote for matt g

failed lobbyist elon musk goes all out in his public lobbying of the united states senate, for matt gaetz, donald trump allows it to be leaked to the new york times that donald trump doesn't think gaetz is going to get confirmed. which one of them you think is right? the case nomination was in trouble from the minute it was announced. but since then, no one has delivered more ammunition to the united states senate to use against matt date in the confirmation process. then our next guest. leading off our discussion tonight is joe leopard. he's representing two women who testified to the house ethics committee about matt gaetz . thank you very much for joining us tonight. so why are you here? why are you discussing this publicly? >> adhere strictly on behalf of my clients. they provided so much testimony back to the doj in 2020. the provided testimony before the grand jury, also 2020. and that, to be clear, as a sex investigation . about the doj investigation. they provided hours of testimony and hundreds of documents to the house. and here so that they do not have to provide additional tes

matt gaetz is one of his best weapons in congress. 's taking him out of congress and giving him the attorney general's office. >> reporter: it was gaetz who led the charge among some far right republicans in congress to oust kevin mccarthy as house speaker last year. >> this house has been poorly led. >> reporter: before that, the man who could become america's top law enforcement official had been accused of serious crimes. the justice department investigated gaetz over allegations he violated federal law by paying for sex, including with women under 18 years old. gaetz repeatedly denied any wrong doing and last year, the justice department announced it would not bring charges against him. one analyst says getting gaetz confirmed could be a challenge even in a republican- led congress. >> this seems destined not only to be a selection that is going to test the loyalty to president-elect trump of republicans in the senate, but that is meant to provoke. >> reporter: the house ethics committee has also been investigating gaetz regarding

mitchell in washington, shock waves are being felt over president-elect trump's pick of congressman, matt gaetz, a man who bragged about being nicknamed, the trumpist lawmaker in congress, gaetz had been investigated by the geo day -- doj on sexual trafficking charges, at the time he was named, like trump, accusing the doj of weaponizing these investigations. >> i don't care if it takes every second of our time and every ounce of our energy, we either get this government back on our side or we defund and get rid of, abolish the fbi, cdc, atf, doj, every last one of them if they do not come to heal. and i don't think it is too much to ask. i don't believe that means hearings where we yell at people, i think that means a fundamental reshaping of this government, a reshaping of this town.>> as attorney general, there is concern that gaetz would end the independence from the oval office, using it to target the president elects opponents, when trump made the announcement, he resigned his house seat, which he did not have to do unless he is confirmed. but that ended the ethics committee jurisdiction

women who testified to the house judiciary committee, for several hours, under oath,about what matt gaetz did with them, and their eyewitness testimony about what he did with a 17- year-old girl. alex, i do not believe that the gaetz nomination can possibly survive, a what we are about to hear, from this attorney, who represents those two witnesses. >> okay, lawrence, i am going to be watching. that is a big tease. >> thanks, alex. >> have a great show. >> thank you. >>> our first guest tonight, wants to spare two clients, two young women, the burden of testifying publicly, on worldwide television, against matt gaetz, at his senate judiciary committee confirmation hearing. their testimony is already available to the senate judiciary committee, because they testified for several hours to the house ethics committee, which has written a full report of their testimony, that includes just how much money matt gaetz paid them for sex. just how many thousands of dollars he paid each one of them. and that house ethics committee report includes eyewitness testimony of matt gaetz having sex with a 1

so, cutting effing heads, what does that tell you about the kind of attorney matt gaetz will be? >> i think it tells you all you need to know. if trump is trying to send shockwaves through official washington, he has succeeded. gaetz was not on anybody's short list. from my perspective it should not be that surprising . trump's campaign on this platform, he was going to shake up the doj, turn it upside down, clean house, et cetera, et cetera. from that perspective, matt gaetz is a very logical choice. i think he will be a difficult one to confirm, i think there are a lot of republicans who either publicly or privately have serious doubts about this nomination. >> that is what people are talking about, i think without hyperbole in this case, about a constitutional crisis because it will pit donald trump against the senate , possibly. three potentials to get matt gaetz as attorney general, number one, hold confirmation hearings. one of the problems with confirmation hearings with a guy like matt gaetz? >> the problem is, you can have a public repudiation of trump's nominee. my stron

there is a lot between now and matt gaetz getting confirmed or matt gaetz getting a vote. i don't think you're wrong necessarily, donald trump tends to defy political gravity, but, katy, the one place he has not, the one place he has not is capitol hill, an institution and a body he does not understand, he's been consistently befuddled by, and he has taken no real time to understand its nuances, never served here, doesn't have senior staff at this moment that is familiar with the place. so, it is going to be a tough slog. and on top of that, katy, the institution can only bear so much weight. matt gaetz, pete hegseth, tulsi gabbard, what if rfk jr. is nominated for a position? senators are going to be sick and tired of taking tough votes. so we'll see. >> is there any concern among those senators about the backlash that could happen if they say no? i mean, i ask that very seriously because after the insurrection, jake, you saw a number of senators, lindsey graham included, coming out and saying enough's enough, we can't do this anymore and then turning right back around an

are there ssibilities there for matt gaetz? can you speak about the relationship he has with donald trump because donald trouble, a-wise he as we know, likes to reward loyalty. >> absolutely. there is a governor's race in 2026 that gaetz expressed previously running in to replace ron desantis. we could see him go -- we could see him go into the department of justice, let's be clear. emil bove, another one of donald trump's defense lawyers from the new york hush money payment case, he was selected by donald trump to be the number three at the doj. todd blanche, number two. >> okay, can we just remind people -- i just want to stop you for a second, and not let you lose that train of thought. but, what is the prosecutorial experience that matt gaetz has to hold a position? we talked about these controversies, surrounding parties and 17-year-old girls, but what is his experiential qualification? to still go into some role -- yeah. >> reporter: right. i think two fronts to that. he does not have a deep experience as a lawyer. but i t

this is from matt gaetz.ngs with senators yesterday, i appreciate their thoughtful feedback and the incredible support of so many. with the momentum strong, it is clear my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the trump/vance transition. there is no time to waste on a protracted washington scuffle, thus i'll be withdrawing my name from conversation to serve as attorney general. trump's doj must be in place and ready on day one. i remain fully committed to see that donald j. trump is the most successful president in history. i will forever be honored the president trump nominated me to lead the department of justice and i'm certain he will save america. matt gaetz, eight days, andrea, after being nominated and his name being put into the fold for attorney general of the united states is dropping out. this all while there was debate within the house ethics committee over whether to release the ethics report, looking into the allegations that he had a sexual interactions with a

matt gaetz is already in trouble trying to get the republican vote with lisa murkowski saying it will be a significant challenge for gaetz to win enough votes to be confirmed. i don't think it is a serious nomination for the attorney general. that's lisa murkowski's view. he has his work cut out for him. another said, the senate will have to consider any nominee by the president seriously but we also have a responsibility. susan collins said, obviously the president has the right to nominate whom ever he wishes. i'm certain there will be a lot of questions, she said. collins said the ethics probe will be one of the issues that will be raised because, as i understand it, there is an active investigation by the house ethics committee. well, there was an active investigation when the senator was saying that. hours later it was ended by matt gaetz's resignation. a year ago, matt gaetz said the world is not ready for an attorney general matt gaetz. >> you never know, david. it may be an attorney general matt gaetz down the road or someone of my liking who will be there to enforce the law a

vance and amid a steady drip, drip, drip of seedy revelations out of the investigations into matt gaetzuld ultimately turn into a flood. the latest bombshell dropping minutes after gaetz withdrew, according to a source familiar with the matter was told a woman had two separate sexual encounter with matt gaetz at the same party in 2017 when she was just 17 years old. cbs was the first to report that news. they said gaetz withdrew his nomination just 45 minutes after cnn called to say it was going to report on that 2017 incident and just last night "the new york times" out with a bombshell piece of reporting of their own, they reported on findings by the justice department a document obtained by the times shows this, quote, federal investigators have estaof payme drug-fueled sex parties. among those who received money from gaetz were women who have testified that he hired them for sex. that's according to the documen. the lawyer said payments to the women ultimately totaled around $10,000. the document does not show what the payments to the women were for and nbc news has not independentl

i can't imagine any circumstance under which matt gaetz would be confirmed. t donald trump would have to withdraw this nomination and by the way, to answer scott's question if gaetz resigned today and decided to be sworn in in the new year, then the ethics committee could still release that report. they have the report and so, by the way, i'm sure that's the reason why he resigned. they were probably about to drop sanctions on him and these reports are pretty darn ugly? and because he resigned they wouldn't release the report anyway? >> the house loses jurisdiction over any member once that member is no longer serving, but i'm curious to see if the ethics committee might release it anyway, and i say that because this investigation was unusual and at the ethics committee several months ago announced what specifically they were investigating and not investigating about matt gaetz, they never talk about an ongoing investigations because he antagonized them. so i am just curious to see if they might release it anyway. i don't think it's ever been done before, but

then you've got matt gaetz. so all three of those then presumably are all real and in the world we're talking about with the appointment all three of them will get the nominations? >> i don't think it's a for sure yes but i wouldn't say it's a no . i think that this is us recognizing donald trump was clear as day about how he intended to govern and he plans to follow through on the promise so it will be interesting how they play this. will they try to kind of offend send off the worst of these and let other ones through or will they try to fight them on the offense? this is part of some of the resistance energy that was different in 2016 and 2017. there was an immediate reaction during trump's win. there hasn't been that grassroots energy this time either so will the electorate to speak out? one question i have is for the voting public, was that a rejection of the status quo or an endorsement of the agenda? i don't know that we really know that but hopefully we could get clues on that front based on the reaction

he is florida congressman matt gaetz. the word was within the last hour gaetz has resigned from congress which will end a house ethics committee investigation into him looking into allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, except in improper gifts, dispensed special provisions and papers to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship. he denies the allegations. he was also investigated eye the justice department concerning sex crimes allegations, which he also denies. the dlj ultimately -- d.o.j. ultimately deciding against prosecuting him. here is some of the reaction from one democratic senator. >> matt gaetz is dangerously unqualified. this is going to be a red alert moment for american democracy. matt gaetz is being nominated for one reason, because he will implement donald trump transition of the department of justice from an agency that stands up for all of us to simply an arm of the white house designed to persecute and prosecute trump's political enemies . >> senate re

donald trump and matt gaetz feel be grieved by the justice department and gaetz has been a long time -- will tested by fire in the presidents eyes can will trusted by the president, the president-elect. if he gets in the office you can, rest assured, according to trumps advisors and people who are familiar with his thinking, that matt gaetz is going to investigate the investigators. both those that investigate him and those who investigated former president trump. so this is a serious thing that they are doing. in their minds it doesn't really matter if the democrats don't like this. what matters to them is that they have the votes in the senate. it was pointed out there's this new procedure, new move to allow for recessive appointments that the senate republican leader has agreed to. and matt gaetz was among those who helped formulate that plan and policy with former president trump to get him to do that. if he doesn't get confirmed you could possibly see a recess appointment made by former president trump , or president trump at the time. i don't think this is a negotiation. there'

he chose matt gaetz. matt will come before the committee and he will be asked hard questions and we will see how he does. i voted for a lot of people i didn't like. >> what do you think of him? your response? >> i think he is very smart. time will tell. >> do you see him as a candidate? >> what are the implications? >> nothing. in the liberal world -- >> let's bring in julie who is there on the hill gathering some of this reaction. how significant ask what we are hearing from graham and what else are you hearing from other members of the judiciary committee, which is sort of the first step and stop in this confirmation process? >> i can tell you, ana, from running into lindsey graham yesterday after he announced matt gaetz as a pick to attorney general, graham seemed just as shocked and confused as all of us were when we heard that happened. i asked him if he talked to trump, who he is very close with, about this. he said, no. do you think it will be confirmed? he said, we will see. obviously, he had time

trump pics matt gaetz to be attorney general. why some say it is a step too far. >>> i was grateful and honored to accept the honor. >> tulsi gabbard and later -- >> the new leader in town, republicans handing over the gavel. the first order of business, confirming trump's cabinet. >>> just after 5:00 a.m. on the east coast. a live look at capitol hill back in the heart of all the action here in washington. it is wonderful to have you with us. donald trump placing loyalty above all else as he fills out his next administration. but even some of his supporters were, shall we say, caught off guard by his latest pick. announcing matt gaetz as his choice for attorney general. gates, who resigned from the house yesterday in preparation of the upcoming confirmation process has been an outspoken critic of the justice department. >> we either get this government back on our side or we defined and get rid of, abolish the fbi, cdc, atf, doj, every last one of them, if they do not come to heal. >> if confirmed by the senate he would be in ch

>> are you going to go for matt gaetz? >> i completely trust president trump's decision-making on this one. >> jordan: i don't get it! do you hate matt gaetz are not? you can't have it both ways. unlike your mom did when she couldn't decide whether she decided to name you mark or wayne. [cheers and applause] there you have it, folks. republicans admission to donald trump in a nutshell: matt gaetz is a creep who forced me to watch it sex tapes, and yes, i will be voting for him. happy thanksgiving. for more on the congressional reaction to the matt gaetz nomination, we go live to the capital with desi lydic. desi! [cheers and applause] we've heard from republicans but what is the democratic strategy for matt gaetz? >> i spoke to democrats and their strategy is to vote for him unanimously. >> jordan: wait, democrats will vote for him? >> yeah, it's part of any strategy that they call, and i quote, [bleep] and find out. [cheers and applause] if donald trump wants a clown as ag, do donald trump gets a clows ag. have fun watchi

matt gaetz, tulsi gabbard, _ others are? matt gaetz, tulsi gabbard, all— others are?ers are? matt gaetz, tulsi gabbard, all of them, - others are? matt gaetz, tulsi gabbard, all of them, if - others are? matt gaetz, tulsi gabbard, all of them, if they | gabbard, all of them, if they get to a vote in the senedd the senedd will approve all of them. i can't imagine republicans voting against any of them. the hope is, with matt gaetz or tulsi gabbard, it won't even get to the vote. meaning more and more stuff will come out these next two weeks to the point where matt gaetz or tulsi gabbard have to step down. that is where their opponents are going to fight. but if it gets to a vote republicans will approve it. we have to leave it there. thank you forjoining us. plenty more from washington on the programme in the next while. let's take a look at some of today's at the main stories. a turkish man has been arrested in the netherlands on suspicion of supplying significant quantities of small boats and equipment to people smugglers. the 44—year—old was detained at schipol airp

elon musk, matt gaetz and donald trump. trump immediately announced matt gaetz for attorney general with elon musk full support. then, elon musk went to work lobbying the united states senate publicly to confirm matt gaetz. he just needed to convince 50 of next year's 53 republican senators to vote for matt gaetz. and here is how he lobbied those senate republicans. matt gaetz has three critical assets that are needed for the ag role, a big brain, a spine of steel, and an axe to grind. he is the judge dreadamerica needs to clean up corrupt system and put powerful bad actors in prison. i promise you 82-year-old-year- old mitch mcconnell does not know who judge dredd is. as for these accusations against him i considered them worth less than nothing under our laws, a man is considered innocent until proven guilty. if ag garland could have secured a conviction against gaetz he would have, but he knew he could not, case close. elon musk thought the case was closed. elon musk told republican senators the case was closed and repub

we saw it was absolute shock when _ -- matt gaetz a. n matt - absolute shock when matt gaetz�*s name was announced. he has a swirly number of ethics issues around him and he's barely practice as an attorney — basically two years. pam bondi is very different. i think there were some surprise that her name wasn't previously floated, but when you think about it, she was a twice elected attorney general of the state of florida — third largest state in the country — she's tough on drugs, illegal immigration, and she's a trump loyalist. i think that's a mistake trump is determined not to repeat this time. i think he felt the first one in his left turn, jeff sessions, really failed him. ithink turn, jeff sessions, really failed him. i think he thought bill bar also failed him. i think what he's saying is whether it's justice or fbi or another senior white house appointment. he is going to appointment. he is going to appoint people who know him and that he knows and they're going to put him first. but the attorney general is supposed to be at at

every republican in washington has an opinion of matt gaetz and 99% of those opinions are keep matt gaetzy wife, my daughter, and anybody i care about. i want to talk about, in some ways about what i did with kathleen, how important a position of attorney general is, you have a unique perspective, he worked in maine justice underneath the attorney general and he worked as u.s. attorney on the field so you know it from both places, and if 10 is like a complete catastrophe, and one is like the department will survive, where do you put yourself?>> it is a clear break class moment, it is 10, there has never been someone as unqualified, no legal experience, but that is the least of it, somebody who comes to the department without contempt and hostility for it, it is going to prompt a major exodus, it is going to prompt judges and juries around the country to have less credibility in the doj which is the really trade of the doj, it will ultimately cause the public to have less but i want to double back to this hhs point, everything about the ethics report, that is a red herring, same with the r

in this candidate. >> precisely what a confirmation hearing is supposed to evaluate and look at, matt gaetz is very loyal to trump, what is your prediction for how he would deal with who he believes are matt trump's enemies? >> i think he would deal with them in exactly the way that trump tells him to deal with them but matt gaetz is there to execute , or will be if he is confirmed, to execute donald trump's wishes. not to ensure that the president understands and abides by the law, not to oversee the vast criminal interest to get a roll of the department , not to protect the national security of the united states, but rather, just to be there is donald trump's tool. you know, something i think worth mentioning here, laura, about the national security role as well, in considering whether or not you think matt gaetz is qualified for that role, put aside the exposure to all the information, the secrets, that the things that people think about, i think, for sand. for my perspective, for many hours in policy meetings in the white house, you see that the attorney general is the linchpin of some

and now more on the character of matt gaetz and how it connects to this show. donald trump began tweeting about widely discredited conspiracy theories about joe after receiving documents given to trump by congressman gaetz. that's according to former white house communications director alyssa farah griffin. show revealed the information en2022 in a deposition before the house select committee investigating the january 6th attack. she told lawmakers she was in the west wing with republican congressman jem jordan, former white house press secretary kayleigh mcenany when and gaetz when she noticed he had a folder with him. she asked what was in it and gaetz pulled out conspiracy theories about joe scarbrough. and she said she could not put that in front of the president right as she was getting ushered into the oval office. the next morning, then president trump started tweeting about those debunked conspiracy theories. trump tweeted about the lies to millions of followers for at least five times over the next three years. those posts caused so much pain and emotio

mark, i mean, is that why trump is putting matt gaetz, is that part of the reason he's putting gaetz to help him with all the pardons he wants to issue for these defendant requests m >> i can't obviously speak for the president- elect, but i think what you see in all of his cabinet picks, including matt gaetz, including some of the others that he's named is that he wants people who are going to be out there and be supportive of the american- first agenda, that the majority of americans voted to support. he doesn't want to see what happened in the early years of 2017, where we had a lot of people who were not fully aligned with the president's policy agenda, trying to invoke their policy views on the president rather than twag actually executing the plans of the president and the dually elected leader of the free world. i think all of these picks are about that. and it's really, i would say, a warning shot to the deep state, to the bureaucracy, that, remember, it's the people's elected representatives that are in charge, not you. >> kate, what do you make of that? >> look, i mean, thi

besides matt gaetz?m sure there are some people. probably left good tips at waiters, various restaurants around the capitol. i don't know. it is a -- this is an interesting choice, because it is, to me, just donald trump testing exactly how powerful he is. look, second- term presidents, he now is, we went through this with bush a little bit. ran into turbulence with some things we tried to do early in the second term after winning the national popular vote and it did not work out. sometimes second- term presidents do feel a little bit more powerful than maybe they are. the senate is just harder to control, particularly when you've got so many senators that probably don't have any strings on them from trump the way you would in the house. >> on that, these senators have to look to midterms and their own -- some of these people want to run for president in 2028. he doesn't have the political capital as the first term because this is his second term. some senators might not go along with the confirmations b

again on december 5th to discuss the next steps, but this is all happening as new details about matt gaetz's conduct is starting to trickle out into the press. abc news has obtained records given to the ethics committee that shows gaetz paid more than $10,000 to two young women who later testified to the committee. an attorney to those women told nbc news, those appear to be records his clients went through with the committee to identify which payments from gaetz had been for sex. meanwhile, the "new york times" has obtained a fairly detailed diagram from federal investigators that reportedly shows the tangled web of payments between gaetz and various individuals, including those two women who testified to the house ethics committee. matt gaetz denies the allegations and nbc news has not independently obtained those records. it is unclear what the ethics committee will end up doing here , but he certainly things like the pressure that trumpet house speaker mike johnson are pulling house republicans is working. house republicans seem pretty committed to protecting matt gaetz. and the question

the house ethics report on matt gaetz. for understand the reasons the norm is at such ethics inquiries are closed quietly if lawmakers step down. but mr. gaetz abruptly quit congress last week a hours after mr. trump announced his nomination for ag. the committee was reportedly days from releasing its investigation. it's one thing to keep sorted details private when a lawmaker accused of misbehavior is resigning. this looks more like an effort to dodge accountability by getting a promotion. they go on to say this. even without they house report the senate could call the same witnesses to testify as senator john cornyn a republican of texas suggested this week. quote in order to do our job when you get access to all the information he said. but also to protect the president gets any surprises that might damage his administration. the senate would be justified in sticking to that line, whatever the political pressures that mr. trump might bring to bear for a speedy matt gaetz confirmation. the other republican senators who ar

matt gaetz is definitively a joke. it won't work out.orks out is if the senate does the recess appointments, there is no vote, no senate hearing. that does not mean that donald trump does not want this to happen. matt gaetz is donald trump's ideal attorney general. perfect attorney general. he will truly weaponize the ag's office, the justice department, stop or start any prosecution that he deems fit, and he's also the man that will make the president of the united states above the law. which is donald trump's true dream. >> charles? what do you think? >> i actually think you made a really good point earlier in the program. the matt gaetz appointment is grotesque even by the grotesque standards of donald trump and i think the odds are against the fact he will be confirmed. in many ways it does feel possibly like a distraction that will make it much harder for republican senators to pass on others. for example, if matt gaetz goes up in flames, the senate will look at somebody who would be deplorable, like matt whitaker, with relief. what

then being a larger hold up because of the fact that he was spending so much political capital on matt gaetz. now, i will tell you i did talk to a number of sources close to gaetz after those meetings with said they were cautiously optimistic about how it went. however, when you look at what some of those senators said afterwards in terms of transparency, in terms of essentially warning gates that there could be more stuff that that that he needed to be transparent coming forward. it was unclear if their reaction to this. again, cautiously optimistic, was the same reaction that gaetz himself or those senators were having after they actually sat down with gaetz. but one thing that is just so interesting about all of this is the fact that donald trump had been hammering down behind closed doors, that this was the most important pick to him, that he believed that this was something he had to stand by. he wanted matt gaetz to be the, quote, unquote effective communicator. now obviously, we'll see. we're back to the drawing board on attorney general. we know that when it came to matt gaetz, he wa

matt gaetz is the perfect grenade. some degree what happened in the last week is entirely foreseeable, given how it ended. but i also think that trump still gets to send a message, gaetz sort of gets to be seen, you know, to some degree as the ultimate trump loyalist which could help him if he did want to run for something in florida, and wanted to sort of get the nomination. i think also i wouldn't count him out for a job that is not senate confirmable, whether in the white house or somewhere else in government, because clearly trump does value gaetz's loyalty, the spectacle of him, and the like minded sort of approach to exacting revenge, getting attention, and just essentially, you know, being the center of attention for whatever reason, not necessarily the good ones. so, i don't think we have seen the last of him. >> peter, part of what defined the last administration, trump administration, all the palace intrigue, the sources going after other people in the administration, everybody trying to knife the other. that

elected senate leaders do after the announcement that trump will nominate now former congressman matt gaetz to be attorney general. gaetz is objectively speaking , loved by some accomack maga enthusiast, but he is objectively speaking, low, but a big and very public number of republicans in congress. he resigned his house seat just days before the release of a bipartisan house ethics report on allegations of sexual misconduct . so, how could he get confirmed in the senate? that is a major question this morning, along with what it tells us about donald trump's new administration. republican strategist and appointee under trump's first administration tells politco, we went from some solid picks, to interesting wildcards, to some more than controversial, no way confirmable. this is trump daring the u.s. senate, this is trump potentially serving the u.s. senate, trying to put people in place to recess appointments, which could mean we are at a constitutional crisis from the start of trump's second term. let's get to steve kitano in florida . with the peak in the plan hear from the transition te

matt gaetz is going to go— concerning. matt gaetz is going to go to — concerning.o be — to go to hearings, he is going to be asked not only by republicans but by democrats as well, _ republicans but by democrats as well, this— republicans but by democrats as well, this puts everyone in a very— well, this puts everyone in a very awkward position. this is on top — very awkward position. this is on top of— very awkward position. this is on top of what is already some very— on top of what is already some very questionable actions and statements that matt gaetz has made _ statements that matt gaetz has made over his political career. trump — made over his political career. trump is — made over his political career. trump is already off to a rocky start _ trump is already off to a rocky start and — trump is already off to a rocky start and it is hard to see how it gets — start and it is hard to see how it gets better in the coming months _ it gets better in the coming months. ~ ., ., , ., ~' months. what do you think it means if all— months. what do you think it means if

matt gaetz. i have mentioned some of the things we have reported that might sound critical are just things he admitted to. so this is, as i say, coming from trump, going towards the senate, this was last year was matt gaetz. >> for many of the crimes that we are observing, the statute of limitations is five years. we could send criminal referrals to the department of justice. we take the white house back. you never know, david. it may be an attorney general matt gaetz down the road or someone of my liking who will be there to actually enforce the law and provide the accountability. >> i like that. attorney general matt gaetz. are you kidding me? man. >> the world is not ready probably, certain any senate confirmation wouldn't be. a boy can dream. >> certainly senate confirmation wouldn't be, he says. >> i feel like i manifested that into being, right, by talking about it. look, i think the significance of matt gaetz as the attorney general is three main ways. the first is that he would enforce th

michael, let me first get your reaction to the nomination of matt gaetz to be ag. you have done extensive reporting with the just justice department, i want to hear how you are thinking about that. >> i was pretty surprised. i had covered the investigation of gaetz, the sex trafficking investigation. there was something about that investigation that was always really serious that i am not sure everyone appreciated. that was that, if he had been indicted, he would have faced a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. that means that if he was convicted, the sentence he would have gotten that the judge could not have wiggled out of, unless something really extraordinary happened, was that he was going to prison for 10 years. that always made the stakes of the investigation really, really high. ultimately, the department chose not to charge him. we don't really know why that was. we do know the woman in question was 17 at the time, the age under the law is 18. we don't know if that played any role in it, the fact that the h was so close, some people speculated about th

matt gaetz, attorney general? >> i think she made a great statement when she said the president was elected to shake it up, to change things, to dramatically change things in washington and some of his picks amplify that. the president has the prerogative to nominate who he wishes. we will consider this in the senate and the judiciary committee. when everything is said and done, we will see how it is done and i would put mr. matt gaetz's nominee in the same category. >> and would this be the type that the president has wanted for these to be recess appointments, make them automatically approved? do you think that should extend to matt gaetz? >> we need to do our work in the senate. our new leader expressed his belief this is the direction we need to go. as many nominations as we can go through, hopefully our democrat friends will join us so we can move. i'm not saying they have to vote for them, but not be a stumbling block so we can move the nominations forward as quickly as possible. if we run into stumbling blo

everyone knows about matt gaetz. everyone in the house of representatives knows about him as we just heard from senator mullen. he in effect has self-confessed on the floor of the house according to what we heard. >> he had shown pictures of different girls on the house floor. there's other things in the report about the misuse of powers and funds. mra which is the congressional money that the use for a personal basis, something about a bribe. i don't know what those are about it it's something that i think needs to be looked at because those are awful activities for someone who could be the attorney general of the united states. this can also be very illustrative illustrative to congress about the ethics required in the violation of ethics that would be taking place. i don't know what it is but this is a terrible situation. there should be at least one of those but i think there's someone out there on the republican side and a couple of people who could vote because there are good people there who have values and th

this is a nomination the republican party should oppose. >> now, matt gaetz is a lot of things. for the past four years, gaetz, a republican from florida, has been one of trump's main deep state witch hunters. >> jack smith right now is engaging in explicit election interference. he is the insurance policy, except now they're trying to ensure that the trial occurs before the election. >> are you protecting the bidens? >> absolutely not. >> hold. on you won't answer the question about whether or not that's a shakedown. you come in here and you lodge this attack. it is a conspiracy theory that there's coordinated against trump. >> i don't care if it takes every ounce of our energy, we either get this government back on our side or we defund and get rid of, abolish the fbi, cdc, atf. doj. every last one of them if they do not come to heel. ? i don't think it's too much to ask. >> that last part was matt gaetz literally calling to abolish the department he's being asked to oversee. he is also a january 6th truther. as early as january 6th, 2021, the actual day of the insurrection, he

to this, he posted on truth social and he said, you know, he greatly appreciated the efforts of matt gaetzdoing very well. but at the same time, he didn't want to be a distraction for the administration, for which he has much respect. matt has a wonderful future, and i look forward to watching all of the great things he will do. very sort of conciliatory tone from the president elect there, you know, not blaming anyone else for pushing matt gaetz out. so i think we'll see more come out about the reasons behind this and what's going on behind the scenes. but it does bring someone who you know very well, kayla, todd blanche, into the cross hairs now because he, of course, had been nominated as the deputy attorney general. so had everyone been confirmed, and matt gaetz then stepped out of the running. todd blanche would kind of assumed the role of attorney general. but you know him, kayla, very well from the trump trial in new york and everywhere else, because he is, of course, one of donald trump's main lawyers. todd blanche getting nominated for that role was slightly less controversial, es

matt gaetz is aggressively unqualified for this position. he has never been a prosecutor, has never really practiced law at any big-time level. he has no idea what it means to stand up in a court and represent the united states and to try to take away someone's liberty. i do want under store underscore the stakes your. the attorney general of the united states, this is a person who is in charge of 110,000 employees , 94 u.s. attorneys offices, the entire fbi, the entire dea, the entire atf. the solicitor general who handles all the supreme court litigation for the government. u.s. marshals, the federal bureau of prisons. >> this is a man who could not be hired as an assistant u.s. attorney at any major district but he probably couldn't be hired as a paralegal. he probably wouldn't even pass a background check. >> i have to disagree with you that he doesn't have experience but he certainly does have experience with the justice department it is simply being investigated for sex crimes. this is not a serious pick, and again, i want to get back

matt gaetz is not the only one — role. matt gaetz is not the only one not _ role.t the only one not po has i role. matt gaetz is not the i only one not po has baggage. role. matt gaetz is not the - only one not po has baggage. we only one not pq has baggage. we saw sarah talking about peter hegseth. would trump face other concerns for his nominations? i think that remains to be seen. in terms of who the names are, they are still to be announced, and there are several, and some quite prominent roles. i think for a significant number of these nominees so far the process will be relatively straightforward in terms of confirmation, matt gaetz was way out in front in terms of the controversy that was swirling around him and it was becoming fairly obvious that he was facing extreme difficulties. whether or not that report about the investigation into what he was alleged to have done, the alleged to have done, the alleged sexual misconduct, released or not, it was obvious they were a number of republican senators who had grave reservations about him. in terms of grave res

ashley, what does donald trump get, exactly, out of forcing republicans to swallow matt gaetz? well, he gets another loyalty test. in certain ways, this seems counterintuitive, because he's making his own party take a potentially tough votes on gaetz, but it's like a schoolyard bully, seeing just how far they can push their victim or their target. you've done this for me, now will you do this next thing? will you go even a step further? you mentioned just then, the claiming -- the number of republicans who have claimed, even though a lot of them know better and will privately admit that the 2020 election was not stolen, as a litmus test to show their loyalty and devotion to trump, they have claimed that. this is sort of another red line or marker in just how far they're willing to go to show their devotion to kiss the ring of president-elect trump. >> i wonder if this is a test of how far they're willing to go, i wonder if republicans on the hill may be see this as a rubicon moment. much like the night the 2020 election pushed them forward. if they allow someone like matt gaetz

>> matt gaetz is not a litmus test.ee what they have to say about a defense secretary that doesn't believe women should be in combat and wants to only focus on cultural issues rather than national security issues. let's see what they think about someone who is completely against vaccines or at least most of them, taking over hhs. >> what do you think about pete hegseth? >> my fear now is the senate thinks it earned its bipartisan independent credit. and that folks like hegseth would get a pass when in reality , what we have to have a conversation about him he needs to be held accountable for is the notion he wants to submit generals across the board to purity and loyalty testing. will be completely bow down to donald trump's will rather than the constitution to which they swore an oath to? that is so dangerous for the country. >> i think hegseth will probably squeak by. there was no bravery on capitol hill because matt gaetz pulled out. it is important to remember what we just learned about the electric. most people are

senator, matt gaetz was also nominated to be the attorney general of the united states. would you support that nomination? >> well, i'll be involved on my own. i've known matt for a long time. at one point many years ago, he actually worked for me. and i was aspiring to be speaker of the house, i liked matt a lot. i know him very well. i'm confident that if senate confirms him, he can do a good job. again, presidents are entitled to have the people that they want in these key positions to carry out the mandate that's been delivered to him. >> reporter: and the key question there, of course, whether or not matt gaetz can actually be confirmed by the united states senate. and rubio was pressed on that repeatedly. he said that it's reallyreally to every republican senator to remember that donald trump should get the choices he wants in the cabinet slots he selected them for. of course, the senate does have an advise and consent role. we also asked senator kevin cramer of north dakota, our colleague, morgan rimmer caught up with him. it was really interesting because cramer s