Friday Insights-November 22, 2024
Gaetz is gone. Bondi is a shoo-in.
When Donald Trump announced the nomination of Matt Gaetz to serve as his attorney general, I gasped. How, I wondered, could anyone expect Gaetz to be confirmed? Yesterday, Gaetz quit. A few hours later, Trump had a new nominee—Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Bondi seems so natural a choice for Trump that one wonders why Matt Gaetz was his first pick. I guess that Trump chose Gaetz before reflecting on how the confirmation process might proceed.
Trump surprised many of us with the speed with which he announced a new choice, but Bondi was not another impulse buy. The 59-year-old Bondi likely was on the list of candidates for the post. She is also a partner at the lobbying firm Ballard Partners, which was run by Trump’s choice for chief-of-staff, Susie Wiles.
Gaetz’s nomination was doomed.
Trump’s bad judgment was highlighted by his choice of Gaetz, who was nearly universally disliked on Capitol Hill. His rare friends were people like Marjorie Taylor Greene. His antics in the House chamber included alleged incidents of drug use and sharing photos of romantic conquests.
The House Ethics Committee investigated allegations against Gaetz. A damning report was expected to be released that could have led to Gaetz being expelled from the House. That outcome was prevented by Gaetz resigning and Trump nominating him to head the Department of Justice.
Mr. Gaetz will now recede into a dark alley of history. It is hard to imagine him returning to Washington or being picked up as a personality on Fox News, which has two openings, assuming, of course, that Pete Hegseth is confirmed as Secretary of Defense. (The second opening at Fox is that of former Rep. Sean Duffy.)
Bondi’s bonds with Trump.
Loyalty is the top qualification for service in the Trump cabinet. Bondi checks that box. She was on the legal team that defended Trump in his first impeachment trial. She has proposed that Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, be appointed by Governor Desantis to complete the four years remaining in Marco Rubio’s current Senate term. (Hopefully, DeSantis remains sufficiently angry over how Trump treated him in the 2024 presidential primary and will ignore Bondi’s suggestion. Remember “Ron DeSanctimonious” and other Trump name-calling?)
One connection with Trump could prove problematic during Bondi’s confirmation process. Remember Trump University? Politico reports:
In 2016, news emerged that Trump paid a $2,500 fine because his foundation improperly donated $25,000 to Bondi’s political election committee in 2013 before her office opted not to pursue a fraud investigation into Trump University. Trump eventually paid $25 million to settle fraud complaints against the now-defunct university.
Bondi said she was unaware of Trump University complaints at the time and that the contribution had nothing to do with her office’s decision not to pursue the case. Trump has said he admired Bondi for never backing away from him amid the controversy.
Another issue likely to be raised as Bondi is confirmed is why she no longer practices law. Wouldn’t a former Florida attorney general want to practice law?
And who was Bondi lobbying for in Tallahassee and Washington?
The Hegseth nomination may prove more damaging to Trump than Gaetz’s.
It is doubtful that Trump’s blunder in selecting Gaetz will hurt him if his other nominees are approved. That is not likely to happen. Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, has his own history of sexual abuse. He wasn’t charged with anything, but the allegations include the possibility that he drugged a woman before sexually assaulting her. A 22-page police investigation report, leaked this week, could lead to the withdrawal of Hegseth’s nomination by the end of the week. Stand by.
Will Trump defend Hegseth the way he did Gaetz? Not likely. Hegseth might be described as a sleazeball. Based on his own personal history, being a sleazeball is not disqualifying to Trump. However, Hegseth did not extend Trump the courtesy of informing him of the incident or that he had entered into a settlement with his victim to avoid a scandal. Trump, likely stinging a bit from the fiasco with Gaetz, may already regret nominating Hegseth. My guess is that his replacement nominee has already been chosen.
And Tulsi Gabbard?
A third Trump nominee may be worse than Gaetz and Hegseth combined but does not involve sexual assault or drug use. Tulsi Gabbard, described as a “likely a Russian asset” by her former colleague, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), is getting close scrutiny on the Hill.
Stay tuned.