The pressure had become unbearable. Faced with daily revelations about his paid sexual relations with several women, Matt Gaetz gave up, Thursday, November 21, to be Donald Trump's candidate for the key post of Minister of Justice.
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On that same day, in order not to suffer from events, the president-elect announced the identity of his replacement: former Florida prosecutor Pam Bondi. Unlike Matt Gaetz, she has real experience in the legal field. His loyalty to Donald Trump is beyond doubt, and has been for a long time. Now a member of the conservative think tank America First Policy Institute, Pam Bondi, 59, was part of his team of lawyers at the White House, notably during the first unsuccessful impeachment proceedings against him, in 2020. If she was confirmed by the Senate, Pam Bondi would form at the ministry with her designated deputy, Todd Blanche, Donald Trump's lawyer, a duo qualified from a legal point of view and determined to serve the president-elect.
He has nevertheless just suffered a first political setback with Matt Gaetz, while he tries to impose several highly contested candidates, both for reasons of incompetence, risk for national security and sexual scandals. Media pressure and the behind-the-scenes stiffening of Republican senators responsible for confirming these candidates got the better of Matt Gaetz's dreams of promotion.
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The elected official from Florida, who also aspires to succeed Ron DeSantis as governor of Florida, announced his withdrawal at midday in a message published on the social network X. “Despite strong momentum, it is clear that the confirmation of my nomination was unfairly becoming a distraction from the crucial task of the Trump-Vance transition team”wrote Matt Gaetz. On his Truth Social network, Donald Trump welcomed this withdrawal, thus claiming to have played no role in it. “He was doing very well, but at the same time he didn't want to be a distraction to the administrationwrites the president-elect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to seeing all the great things he does! »
Riskiest bet
In Donald Trump's mind, Matt Gaetz, star provocateur of the MAGA (Make America Great Again) scene, was to be his dark horse at the Justice Department, charged with his vengeful enterprise against those who had tormented him. But many close to the billionaire considered this appointment as the riskiest bet in the varied casting of the next cabinet. Matt Gaetz accumulated handicaps, even in his own camp, where his excesses aroused many enmities. In the House of Representatives, he provoked, in early 2023, the fall of Republican speaker Kevin McCarthy. His successor at the helm, Mike Johnson, who has become an ardent ally of Donald Trump, tried to prevent the publication of the ethics committee's investigation report into his account, to protect the elected official from Florida. But the headwinds were too strong.
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