In a blow to Donald Trump, Politico reports that GOP Senators are privately telling him that Matt Gaetz has little chance of getting confirmed as attorney general. Yet these Republicans hope Trump doesn’t make them “walk the plank,” meaning they remain reluctant to publicly challenge him, even to sink the profoundly unfit Gaetz. In short, it’s now clear that one of our only bulwarks against an authoritarian Trump will be the GOP Senate. We talked to writer Jill Lawrence, who has a new piece for The Bulwark arguing that Trump is assembling a “team of outlaws” to run the country. She explains what it means that Republicans are drawing a line against Gaetz—and why the pressure on them will be intense to challenge him when it really counts. Listen to this episode here. A transcript is here.
PODCAST
Big Setback for Trump as GOPers Privately Tell Him: Matt Gaetz Is Done
With Republicans informing Trump that Matt Gaetz’s nomination looks unsalvageable, the author of a new piece on his “team of outlaws” explains why it’s so unsettling that the GOP Senate is our last line of defense.
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Matt Gaetz in Washington, D.C., on July 25, 2024
