Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) said President-elect Donald Trump knowledgeable a “good joke” on Wednesday when he chose Matt Gaetz as his nominee for authorized skilled primary.
“To the president, I say, ‘No, seriously, who is your pick for attorney general?’” Swalwell said on CNN’s “OutFront” Wednesday. “Because this pick is a middle finger to Democrats and sane Republicans, and it’s not being panned only by Democrats.”
Swalwell said Republicans inside the House had been “clowning this pick” every publicly and privately.
“Donald Trump not known for having a sense of humor. Credit to you. You’ve landed a good joke on the country,” he said. “But this is a position, considering what it oversees — counterterrorism, money laundering, public corruption, child trafficking — it’s worthy of being taken seriously.”
That might have been a swipe at Gaetz, who was the subject of a sex trafficking investigation by the Justice Department for higher than two years.
He was alleged to have had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old woman and to have paid her to journey all through state strains with him. Gaetz denies the allegations. He was not charged and the case was dropped ultimate 12 months, reportedly as a consequence of witness credibility concerns.
The House Ethics Committee was moreover investigating Gaetz, until the Florida Republican resigned from Congress Wednesday following Trump’s announcement.
Swalwell said he hoped {{that a}} handful of “reasonable people” inside the Senate, which may be GOP-controlled inside the new 12 months, would forestall Gaetz from being confirmed.
He name-dropped Republican Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Bill Cassidy (La.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and immediate that Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) might also ponder blocking the affirmation.
“I just don’t see this happening,” he said of Gaetz’s appointment.
In a post on X (beforehand Twitter) about Gaetz’s nomination, Swalwell said, “Thank you, Donald. We all needed a good laugh this week.”
