Any process that would install Matt Gaetz as attorney general was never going to be smooth – and now after just eight days, it’s all over.
Gaetz is seen by his colleagues, even on the Republican side, as a firebrand – someone prepared to use any means necessary to advance the Maga agenda.
To Donald Trump, that seemed like a good thing. But to others, even fellow Republicans, the former Florida congressman takes things too far.
“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general,” said Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski – a key moderate Republican – when the nomination was announced.
The nomination also reignited interest in a long-running scandal – allegations of sex trafficking and drug-taking, which he denies.
Gaetz last week resigned from his seat in the House of Representatives, which normally would mark the end of a Congressional investigation into the matter.
But given the circumstances, and Gaetz’s already-controversial image, the issue was never going to go away.
After yesterday’s deadlock in the House Ethics Committee, the details of the investigation will remain confidential for now – unless Gaetz decides he wants his seat back.
Matt Gaetz withdrawing his nomination for attorney general is a big blow for the Trump transition – this was considered one of their most important picks.
Donald Trump is obsessed with the Department of Justice. He believes that it conducted witch hunts against him for eight years, including the four years he was in power the first time – even though his own nominees were in charge of the department during his first term.
So this nomination was enormously important, very high profile.
Gaetz’s withdrawal is a huge blow, but it is also an illustration of the ways power is separated in this country between the presidency, the courts and Congress. The reality is that if you as president don’t have enough support among your own people in Congress, you can’t get your way – even if your party controls all those levers.