Gaetz bows out, Trump pivots to Pam Bondi

What happened

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) Thursday abruptly withdrew from consideration to be President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general nominee, saying he did not want his endangered nomination to become a "needlessly protracted Washington scuffle" that would distract the incoming administration. Hours later, Trump said he would nominate former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a lobbyist and longtime loyalist who was one of his impeachment lawyers, instead.

Who said what

Gaetz's withdrawal was a "brutal reality check" for Trump, showing he "isn't all-powerful despite the Republican trifecta in government," Politico said. There was a "growing consensus," even in Trump's team, that Gaetz "could not be confirmed by the Senate because of allegations that he had taken part in drug-fueled sex parties," The New York Times said. Right before he bowed out, CNN said, reporters asked Gaetz about new allegations he had sex with an underage woman twice, not once, as previously reported. He has denied having sex with a minor.

Gaetz's "hasty withdrawal" and Trump's "quick pivot to Bondi" are emblematic of the president-elect's "tumultuous decision-making as he rushes out nominations — some of questionable character and credentials — at a breakneck pace," without the traditional vetting, The Associated Press said. Unlike Gaetz, Bondi "comes with years of legal work under her belt," though both nominees share another "trait Trump prizes above all: loyalty."

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"If you look at all the possible alternatives, this is a sober pick," Georgia State College of Law Professor Anthony Michael Kreis said to the Times. Bondi "does not have the obvious character flaws of Gaetz," said Fred Guttenberg, who clashed with Bondi on gun laws after his daughter was killed in the Parkland school shooting. "However, she is just as dangerous — maybe more so — because she will always put Trump ahead of the needs of the country."

What next?

Gaetz resigned from Congress — both this term and next — after Trump nominated him, Politico said, but he might be able to "return to Capitol Hill in January and serve in the seat his Florida constituents elected him to in November" if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) agrees.