'Fair game': CNN's Trump ally warns president-elect he'll lose latest gambit
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz should not expect salacious accusations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use to remain concealed in a House Ethics committee report for long, a conservative warns.
President-elect Donald Trump and his attorney general nominee would be foolish to believe House Speaker Mike Johnson can keep the Gaetz report from being leaked to the Senate, at least, CNN political analyst Scott Jennings said Monday.
"Your life and everything you've done and all the actions you've undertaken are fair game," said Jennings. "That's what the process is for."
Jennings also argued Trump he'll likely lose his push to have Gaetz hired as attorney general.
The CNN commentator said it was unlikely the Senate would confirm Gaetz's nomination to lead the Department of Justice due to the intense opposition he's predicted to face from people Trump will find difficult to bully.
"Some of these senators are simply not tenable or as susceptible to Trump's influence as the others," Jennings said. "Some of them are retiring, some of them, you know, have an image of fighting with Trump publicly that serves them well back in their home states."
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Others simply dislike Gaetz, Jennings added.
"Some of them have had some long-standing problems with him," Jennings said. "So there's a group of senators here obviously, that would be more than the required number to defeat a nomination on the floor."
Jennings argued Johnson had some good reasons for trying to keep from the public the Ethics committee probe around allegations that Gaetz sexually assaulted a minor, which the Florida Republican denies.
But he argued, as confirmation hearings approached, Johnson's efforts would likely prove futile.
"It strikes me that it's likely to come out either the report itself or the information contained," he said. "If I were Mr. Gaetz, I don't think I would count on that remaining a secret."