President-elect Donald Trump is doubling down on his efforts to ensure former Rep. Matt Gaetz is confirmed as attorney general, calling some senators directly to discuss the Florida Republican and ask for their support, two sources familiar with the outreach told CNN.
Neither source disclosed whom Trump had reached out to, but they stressed that the president-elect had reiterated to allies how determined he is to get Gaetz confirmed.
Republicans on the House Ethics Committee, meanwhile, are weighing whether to bury a potentially damaging report on the former congressman after their investigation into him was shelved and the public release of the findings thrown into question.
Some Republican members of the panel are signaling both publicly and privately that they do not believe the report should be released, suggesting that the panel could side with Republicans like House Speaker Mike Johnson who has called for the committee to block the report from being made public.
At this point, House Republicans say the report is not ready for public release, which Democrats view as an attempt to bury the findings. But a growing number of GOP senators say the House report is essential to vetting a nominee for a critical post, setting up a potential clash between the two chambers.
The president-elect has asked allies about the likelihood of Gaetz being confirmed but has not been deterred in his efforts, despite some hesitation from those around him, multiple sources briefed on the conversations told CNN.
Trump allies have also discussed how to use the Federal Vacancies Reform Act to put Gaetz in place, which would potentially allow him to temporarily make Gaetz head of the Department of Justice in an “acting” capacity for an extended period of time.
Axios was first to report on the president-elect’s calls to senators.
Trump views Gaetz as key to Cabinet
Gaetz’s selection was almost immediately complicated by the existing House ethics probe into allegations of misconduct, including “sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.” Gaetz resigned from Congress after Trump’s announcement and shortly before the committee was expected to release details of its findings. Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, including ever having sex with a minor or paying for sex.
Trump’s insistence on the controversial nomination has, as CNN previously reported, drawn warnings from allies and lawmakers, who caution that Gaetz faces an uphill climb to secure the 51 votes needed for Senate approval. There is growing concern, too, that the spectacle of a Gaetz confirmation hearing might overshadow the priorities on which Trump has spent the last two years campaigning and for which he received a mandate to push through with his victory this month.
