Trump鈥檚 eye-popping Cabinet picks show his top priority: Loyalty
| Washington; and Austin, Texas
With shock and awe, President-elect Donald Trump has dropped a trifecta of Cabinet nominations that center on a quality he may value above all else: loyalty.
Pete Hegseth, a Fox News personality, is the choice for defense secretary. Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat-turned-Republican and dabbler in conspiracy theories, is up for director of national intelligence.
And most eye-popping of all, Rep. Matt Gaetz 鈥� a political bomb-thrower who has faced federal and congressional investigations into alleged unsavory personal conduct 鈥� is now President-elect Trump鈥檚 nominee for U.S. attorney general.
Why We Wrote This
President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 controversial Cabinet choices came after a series of selections widely deemed more credible. They will present an immediate litmus test for Republican senators.
If confirmed, the Florida Republican would run the very department that, until last year, considered indicting him for alleged sex trafficking, among other charges. Many senators, including Republicans, voiced immediate skepticism over the Gaetz pick, raising the possibility of a recess appointment with no Senate vote at all. Either way, Mr. Trump has immediately put new Senate Majority Leader John Thune 鈥� who was elected Wednesday 鈥� in a difficult position.
On Wednesday night, the 42-year-old Mr. Gaetz resigned from Congress, ending the ongoing investigation by the bipartisan House Ethics Committee into allegations that included sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, and improper gifts, according to a committee statement in June.
But that doesn鈥檛 mean a confirmation hearing, if it happens, won鈥檛 surface those questions.
Mr. Trump鈥檚 controversial Cabinet choices came after a series of selections widely deemed more credible, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state. Now, the once-and-future president is doing what many expected all along after he won the Nov. 5 election: nominating people who would poke Washington in the eye and test the boundaries of credibility.
The Cabinet picks also underscore Mr. Trump鈥檚 main takeaways from his first term as president and a postpresidency spent battling federal and state criminal indictments 鈥� and verbal attacks from former top aides and Cabinet secretaries.
鈥淚f anything, his concern with loyalty has intensified after four years of fighting off legal battles and experiencing some criticism from former members of his administration during the first term,鈥� says William Galston, chair of Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington.
The lesson Mr. Trump seems to have taken from his first term, Mr. Galston adds, isn鈥檛 that he should be more prudent, but that he should 鈥渟urround himself with people who will enable his instincts, whatever they are.鈥�
Mr. Gaetz鈥檚 loyalty to Mr. Trump, and willingness to toss proverbial bombs in Washington鈥檚 corridors of power, has shown no bounds, at least in public.
When he attended Mr. Trump鈥檚 criminal trial in Manhattan in May, he posted a photo of himself on social media that echoed language the president-elect had used during a 2020 debate in reference to the far-right militant group Proud Boys.
鈥淪tanding back and standing by, Mr. President,鈥� the Florida Republican wrote.
In the announcement Wednesday of his attorney general nomination, the president-elect offered effusive praise for Mr. Gaetz.
鈥淢att will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans鈥� badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department,鈥� Mr. Trump said in his statement.
Former federal prosecutors expressed concern over the Gaetz pick and its possible implications for Mr. Trump鈥檚 second term.
鈥淭he great fear is that the enormous power of the attorney general鈥檚 office is going to be handed over to someone who has personal vendettas and political agendas rather than a desire to be a champion of justice,鈥� says Jeffrey Cohen, a former assistant U.S. attorney and associate professor at Boston College Law School.
Barbara McQuade, another former U.S. attorney and a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, echoes Mr. Cohen鈥檚 comments and adds concern about Mr. Gaetz鈥檚 鈥渓ack of experience.鈥� He has a degree from William & Mary Law School, but practiced law only briefly before becoming a state representative and, since 2017, a member of Congress.
鈥淐harging, plea, and sentencing decisions all require a delicate balance of multiple facts,鈥� says Ms. McQuade in an email. She finds it hard to imagine someone could do that effectively at the highest level of our government without ever having done so at other levels.
Beyond that, Ms. McQuade says there are concerns over accusations that the Department of Justice has become 鈥渨eaponized鈥� and is engaging in 鈥渓awfare.鈥� She describes Mr. Gaetz鈥檚 accusations as lies meant to discredit the prosecutions of Mr. Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and the former president鈥檚 possession of classified documents.
Those cases will effectively end after special counsel Jack Smith steps down, his reported plan before Mr. Trump takes office again. Ms. McQuade expresses concern that 鈥渆nding those cases would restore trust only to members of the public who have been disinformed by Trump. The rest of the country will lose faith in the department.鈥�
Some observers have speculated that Mr. Trump may have nominated Mr. Gaetz knowing he鈥檇 be shot down, and thus clearing the way for slightly less controversial picks to be confirmed.
Mr. Trump could also confirm some nominees 鈥� including Mr. Gaetz 鈥� via recess appointments, a way to bypasses the Senate that鈥檚 legal but circumvents its advise-and-consent role as laid out in the Constitution. To smooth his path to election as majority leader Wednesday, Senator Thune agreed to consider recess appointments of Trump nominees.
Still, many senators from both sides of the aisle expressed surprise and skepticism over Mr. Gaetz鈥檚 nomination to head the Justice Department.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 a serious nomination for attorney general,鈥� Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told reporters Wednesday.
鈥淗e鈥檚 got his work cut out for him,鈥� GOP Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa said shortly after Mr. Gaetz鈥檚 nomination, suggesting that defending it would be challenging.
Elon Musk, Mr. Trump鈥檚 new sidekick, shared on his social media platform X an NBC News video of Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, who suggested the Gaetz pick was a strategic move to upset Democrats. Mr. Fetterman called the nomination 鈥済od-tier-level trolling鈥� meant to 鈥渙wn the libs in perpetuity.鈥�
By Thursday morning, Mr. Musk鈥檚 post had 10 million views.
