Former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-Fla.) road to becoming the next attorney general will likely be a bumpy one.
That’s because senators from his own party are questioning his fitness for the role, as The Hill reported.
“He’s got an uphill climb,” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said about Gaetz’s nomination.
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), told Bloomberg Television that Gaetz will not receive the 50 votes needed to be confirmed as attorney general.
“Look, Gaetz won’t get confirmed,” he said. “Everybody knows that.”
Republicans will have the majority in the Senate with 53 secured seats. That means only four GOP Senator casting a negative vote would dash any hopes of Gaetz becoming AG.
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) concurred with McCarthy’s assessment of the situation, stating, “I think he’s pretty right, actually.”
Cramer added this could be part of Trump’s strategy that is not really clear at the moment.
“Donald Trump is a savvy guy. You never know his motivations,” he said.
Cramer added Gaetz is “more than capable of litigating the case for why the [Department of Justice] should be turned on its head.”
However, Gaetz “just doesn’t have the moral authority.”
This is because Gaetz has been under investigation for sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.
Republican senators are are calling for Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) for the House Ethics Committee to make the report into the allegations against Gaetz public.
