Conservative magazine blasts 'self-absorbed provocateur' Matt Gaetz's nomination
The conservative editorial magazine National Review became the latest to slam former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) as Donald Trump's attorney general choice.
In a Friday column, "The Editors" began with an attack on "an unqualified toady" like Gaetz leading any meaningful U.S. agency.
They said they could understand Trump's anger after he landed himself on the wrong side of the law but noted that he "brought a lot of his troubles on himself."
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The editors wrote that Gaetz worked as a lawyer for only a short period of time after law school.
"That would not necessarily be disqualifying if Gaetz had exhibited high levels of legal acumen and judgment during his 14 years in the state and federal legislatures (Gaetz was elected to Congress in 2016). "The opposite, however, is the case," they said.
Blasting Gaetz's conspiracy theories about Jan. 6 and the 2020 election, they said that he's "flashed the same self-absorbed provocateur streak that has made him a figure of ridicule and loathing among his Capitol Hill colleagues on both sides of the aisle."
While Trump might hate the Justice Department, the Editors urged him not to lose sight of "bolstering law and order." If Trump wants reform, they said, that it requires experience and savvy.
"Gaetz is so wrong for the job that it will call into question the president-elect’s intentions after a resounding election victory in which many Trump-skeptical Americans were convinced to take a chance on returning him to power," the group closed.