Senators from both sides of the aisle were quick to react after Matt Gaetz withdrew Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Well, I mean there's a sense of relief about it. Of course. I think he did a pretty noble thing frankly
00:06Honorable thing by by getting out himself. I thought his statement was
00:11Appropriate and I look forward to a new nominee that we can get fully behind simple math
00:17I think was made clear that there's not a path and and if there's not a path
00:22You just you just spent a lot of political capital for losing cause and it wouldn't have been worth it the report still be released
00:29You know, I believe that up to the house at this point there's no other reason
00:34You know for it to be released other than if he was a still a house member or you know a nominee for a high
00:40Position so I'd leave that up to the house
00:42The main message for me here is that my Republican colleagues who did the interviewing and made an assessment
00:49Obviously sent a message. So the big question for the Senate is an institution. Will we?
00:55Exercise our constitutional responsibility for advice and consent
00:58I see this is a good sign that the Senate will do that very respectful for him to make that decision
01:03I think thinking with all of the
01:07We're all thinking about the administration coming in
01:11Supportive and believe we can make sure they're successful. I think every American should want that
01:20Like to remind everybody
01:24Beside that wins they get to pick the people and you know
01:30I hope and I expect that there's going to be enough that we can work together and I'm looking for that
01:35And then there's going to be some some pics that are unacceptable
01:38but I also want to remind you that they have the majority in the Senate and
01:43They are going to have the ability to
01:46Pick whoever they want. There's the fact that's the reality it math is math president-elect Trump has nominated a number of
01:54Candidates to serve in his cabinet who have faced a series of questions and issues
02:00Given the abrupt withdrawal of former congressman Matt Gaetz. There was some discussion about
02:05Whether the next nominee would be someone who would easily be confirmed or not
02:10Whether the next nominee would fit more within the mainstream of who served in the past as Attorney General
02:15many of Trump's nominees in his first administration
02:18Got bipartisan votes his secretary of defense nominee got 98 votes
02:23So it is not impossible for his nominees to be confirmed
02:28But they need to be more in the mainstream and without the degree and level of baggage that former congressman Gaetz brought