Today’s notice: The incredible shrinking Senate. The sound Washington makes in public when Matt Gaetz gets nominated to be attorney general. And the sound it makes in private when Pete Hegseth gets nominated for secretary of defense.
Life Comes at You Fast
NOTUS was texting with former Harry Reid top aide Jim Manley on Wednesday about what the new Senate GOP leaders were signaling to Donald Trump with their theoretical embrace of recess appointments. That’s when news of the transition team’s attorney general nomination dropped.
Trending
Manley had said earlier that the shift on recess appointment was “a clear attempt to undermine the tradition” of the Senate. When the Senate leadership election results were reported, we texted that Rick Scott’s leadership bid face-planting maybe wasn’t the greatest start for MAGA’s promise to remake the way Washington works.
“But they may get Matt Gaetz,” he replied.
The nomination made speculative conversations about how friendly Senate Republicans would be to Trump without Mitch McConnell at the helm very real, very fast. And they were happening all over Washington. Some Republican senators were quick to say they would use recess appointments only if Democrats were trying to hold things up. NOTUS’ Casey Murray found the prospect of Gaetz sailing through without any say from the Senate gave other Republicans pause.
“I was shocked by the announcement. It shows why the advice-and-consent process is so important,” Sen. Susan Collins said.
Trump got Senate leadership hopefuls to promise that they would consider recess appointments. Then, hours after the senators voted on leadership, he put that promise to the test in a big way. Which is stronger: the surging MAGA movement or the Senate’s will to go its own way, no matter who hates it? We’ll soon find out.
—Evan McMorris-Santoro | Read more, with Casey Murray here.
When the Gaetz Announcement Hit…
Reactions to Gaetz’s nomination for attorney general ticked through the five stages of grief.
There was denial. When Sen. Todd Young was asked about the Gaetz pick, he answered an unasked question. “That’s really exciting, Marco’s gonna be great,” he said.
There was anger, like in Rep. Maxwell Frost’s text to NOTUS’ Oriana González. “The guy with a current House ethics probe on sexual misconduct?” Frost said. “What the f-ck!”
Then came bargaining, as Republican senators considered whether Gaetz could be confirmed. “Obviously, the president has the right to nominate whomever he wishes, but I’m certain that there will be a lot of questions,” Sen. Susan Collins said.
It was followed by depression, when Sen. Chuck Grassley, stone-faced, refused to acknowledge reporters’ questions.
At last, acceptance.
“He’ll never get confirmed, it’s the greatest day,” Rep. Max Miller, a Republican, said. “It’s the best birthday I’ve ever had.”
By the end of Wednesday, Gaetz had resigned from Congress, so apparently Miller’s birthday got even better.
Front Page
- CBC Members Want Democrats to Talk About ‘Everything’ to Build Back Their Voting Coalition: “It’s a false choice to say it’s either the economy or social issues,” the CBC chair told NOTUS.
- Trump Uses Meeting With House Republicans to Lock Down Support for Mike Johnson: The president-elect also brought up serving a third term, which was taken in the room as a joke and greeted with laughs.
- Gavin Newsom Has a Mission Before Trump Takes Office: The governor met with California Democrats in the Capitol.
- John Thune Picked to Lead Senate Republicans Over Trumpworld Objections: The candidate most in line with McConnell and least aligned with Trump won out.
- ‘He Has No Chance’: Matt Gaetz’s Ethics Probe Takes Center Stage After Attorney General Nomination: Just two years ago, the FBI investigated Gaetz for allegedly paying for sex with a 17-year-old girl. He’s denied allegations.
Remember When Picking John Thune as Leader Was Big News?
Pretty much everyone in Washington thought the news of the day would be the outcome of the Senate GOP leadership election. And pretty much every reporter in Washington thought the most important question of the day would be about former Trump critic John Thune’s relationship with the president-elect.
Back when that was the question du jour, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a Trump ally who backed Rick Scott’s run to replace Mitch McConnell, said he wasn’t worried about Scott losing. As he put it, Senate majority leader is “pretty much more of a PR position than anything.”
“They’re the communicator, like the press secretary,” Tuberville added. We’re sure McConnell would beg to differ.
—Riley Rogerson
The Numbers Are Not Looking Good for Mike Johnson
On Wednesday morning, President-elect Trump joked that he’d like to bring more House Republicans into his administration but couldn’t because it would risk the extremely slim majority Republicans are expecting going into the new Congress.
On Wednesday afternoon, he tapped Gaetz — a House Republican — for attorney general.
Trump had already plucked two House Republicans for his administration, and there’s still uncalled House races that will affect the final tally of House seats. Though Republicans have picked up 218 seats — enough for a majority — they really cannot afford to lose anyone else to the administration.
Can congressional funds be used for vitamins? Speaker Mike Johnson may need to find out.
“We cannot lose anyone; everyone better be bubble-wrapped, don’t fall,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna told NOTUS. “Take your vitamins, see the doctor. It’s all good.”
—Ben T.N. Mause
Wait, Who?
Gaetz is not the only nomination that’s controversial among Republicans. Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth — yes, the Fox News opinion host — has a lot of Republicans going huh?
NOTUS’ John T. Seward reports that in a private conversation about Hegseth’s nomination on the House floor, one Republican lawmaker asked their colleagues, “Who the f–ck is this guy?”
Do Republicans think Hegseth has enough experience for the job?
“What matters is that the President elect believes so,” one House Republican told NOTUS over text.
What Vaccine Proponents Are Really Scared About
We don’t yet know how much of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ideology will make it into the Trump administration. But supporters of current rules that provide ready access to vaccines are starting to game out how that system might be influenced.
“One possibility experts worry about is changes to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — or ACIP, which produces recommendations on vaccine schedules,” NOTUS’ Margaret Manto reports. “Those changes could force patients to pay out of pocket for vaccines again.”
Not Us
We know NOTUS reporters can’t cover it all. Here’s some other great hits by … not us.
- North Dakota Wants Your Carbon, But Not Your Climate Science, by Adam Willis for Bloomberg
- The Blue Bracelet Movement, Explained, by Stephanie McNeal for Glamour
- Trump’s Comeback Scrambles Bowser’s Political Future. Will She Run Again in 2026?, by Alex Koma for Washington City Paper
- ‘I made a mistake’: House Foreign Affairs chief detained by airport police for appearing intoxicated, by Kadia Goba for Semafor
Be Social
Poor guy.
Well. That's not good.
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) November 13, 2024
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