With Matt Gaetz's withdrawal, Trump's 'retribution' campaign hits reality of governing in Washington
Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal as a candidate for attorney general illustrates roadblocks Trump could face converting his campaign of “retribution” into a governing coalition.
Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal Thursday as a candidate for attorney general illustrates the roadblocks President-elect Donald Trump could face as he tries to convert his campaign of “retribution” into a governing coalition capable of working within the realities of Washington.
Gaetz, until recently a congressman from Florida, embodies Trump’s grievance- and vendetta-driven agenda like few others can. He has been one of Trump’s most pugilistic defenders and the bleeding edge of MAGA resistance in Congress, even against his own Republican leadership.
In Gaetz, Trump would finally get the loyal attorney general he felt he never had in his first term.
But it was a tough sell from the moment Trump announced Gaetz as his choice eight days ago — in a pick that shocked much of Washington.
The Justice Department that Trump wanted him to lead had once investigated Gaetz in a sex-trafficking case it closed without charging him. Meanwhile, an unreleased report from a separate House Ethics Committee investigation also hung over Gaetz’s head, and details of what two women told the committee about their allegations he paid them for sex were beginning to trickle out.
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