A prominent ally and former adviser to President-elect Trump, Steve Bannon, has now reportedly placed the blame for former Representative Matt Gaetz’s (R-Fla.) decision to withdraw from consideration after he was chosen to lead the Justice Department on Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.).
Gaetz was a candidate for the position of head of the Justice Department.
“You gotta give the devil its due,” Bannon said.
“I think we have to get a lot more aggressive. I think [the transition] has to be more aggressive,” he added.
“[Trump] selected controversial candidates, including a couple of Democrats that are quite controversial and quite controversial to be accepted by traditionally hidebound, standard-stock, Republican establishment, the established order of the Republican Party, which is still infesting the Senate, and they’re not going to just sit there and say, ‘Oh, this is terrific,’” he continued.
“And they’re going to show the donor class, which is really who they report to, that they can stop Trump, and they’re going to try to stop Trump in the U.S. Senate,” Bannon concluded.
The Republican strategist stated that it is necessary for Republicans to send strong messages to those individuals who step out of line, indicating that they may be challenged during the future elections.
Later, the president-elect appointed Pam Bondi, who had previously served as the Attorney General of Florida, to the position instead.
Earlier this month, Gaetz, who had previously resigned from his position in Congress after Trump’s initial nomination, was successful in winning reelection to his seat in Florida.
Gaetz later stated, however, that he would not be returning to Congress for the subsequent session.
Gaetz was subjected to a great deal of scrutiny as a result of previous investigations conducted by the Justice Department and the House Ethics Committee as part of a comprehensive investigation into sex trafficking, as well as allegations of sexual misbehavior and the use of illegal drugs.
The Republican from Florida has insisted that he did nothing illegal.
Gaetz announced his decision to withdraw his name from consideration after meeting with senators from the Republican Party. He stated that he did not want to be a distraction for the other nominees, which was in response to the pressure that was being put on the Ethics Committee to make the report available to the general public.
After hearing the news, Bannon referred to the action as a “casualty” for the upcoming Trump administration.
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