Donald Trump’s decision to nominate controversial loyalists to his cabinet has caused a tidal wave of negative media coverage even by his typically friendly newspapers and criticisms from fellow Republicans.
Pointing to former congressman Tulsi Gabbard and outgoing congressman Matt Gaetz, the New York Post editorial board implored the president-elect to “rethink” his choices in an op-ed published on Tuesday. Gabbard was nominated as director of national intelligence while Gaetz was named as pick for attorney general.
“Gaetz and Gabbard are dreadful,” the board wrote. “They’re distracting chaos agents who won’t accomplish what Trump wants them to, and will most likely backfire on his agenda.”
The editorial board praised most of Trump’s “risky but promising” cabinet picks but said Gabbard’s and Gaetz’s reputations had left too large of a stain to make either a serious candidate for their positions.
Gabbard is “sympathetic to dictators” and “won’t provide Trump with the intelligence he needs,” the editorial board said.
They raised concerns that Gabbard will downplay global threats to Trump because she is too emotionally invested in foreign entities – citing her cozying up to Russian state media. The New York Post – a conservative newspaper part of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire News Corp that Trump frequently cites – claims Gabbard’s history indicates she cannot execute Trump’s ability to “balance” the threats of the world while avoiding inserting the United States into global issues.
A spokesperson for the Trump – Vance transition team said in a statement, “Just as the Democrats and the Washington Elite see President Trump as a threat to their unchecked power, they see Congresswoman Lt. Col. Tulsi Gabbard as a threat as well. As DNI Director she will champion our constitutional rights and put an end to using intelligence agencies as weapons against the American people.”
Though Trump takes more of an isolationist approach to foreign affairs, he too has praised authoritarian leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un – increasingly in the last few years.
But “worse” than Gabbard, they claim, is Gaetz – the Florida congressman who was subject to a House Ethics Committee investigation for allegations of sexual misconduct.
Gaetz has “neither the ethics nor the discipline” to reshape the Justice Department the way Trump wants to, the New York Post editorial board said. Rather, he is looking for “an escape hatch” from his own investigations.
Even Republicans in Congress have criticized Trump’s choice for attorney general, claiming he has an “uphill” battle and “a lot of work” to do in order to obtain Senate approval. Republican Senator Susan Collins called him an unserious choice.
Besides being known as the representative who steered the House into chaos last year by ousting former speaker Kevin McCarthy, Gaetz has also been accused of sexual misconduct with a 17-year-old girl. Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing. The Justice Department conducted an investigation and declined to bring charges against Gaetz. The House Ethics Committee has yet to release its findings.
But still, Trump’s decision to tap Gaetz has raised eyebrows.
A spokesperson for the Trump – Vance transition team said in a statement, “Matt Gaetz will be the next Attorney General. He’s the right man for the job and will end the weaponization of our justice system.”
Even the New York Post believes Gaetz and Gabbard are “mediocre nominees” that Trump made “out of stubbornness, not necessity.”
