So in talking to to folks about the Gaetz withdrawal, I discovered that the reason it didn’t make them feel more optimistic about our chances of blocking the other nominees is that they literally do not know how it happened.
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This is not entirely surprising, given the state of our information environment! But it’s important that people understand *how* the nomination was stopped.
First, this wasn’t some kind of sacrifice play. Trump really wanted Gaetz as his Attorney General and was determined to stay the course. He was constantly on the phone with Republican senators, trying to shore up support.
JD Vance was taking Gaetz around to the Republican senators on the Judiciary Committee, literally begging them to give him a hearing. Gaetz even wanted to go on Sean Hannity’s show to directly address the charges against him.
There was a full-court press from Trump & co. to get Republican senators on board. And it didn’t work. Gaetz could only afford to lose three votes, and there were between four and six Republican senators who were unshakeable hard no’s — who refused to even entertain the idea of voting for him.
Again, this is really important to understand: Trump *wanted Gaetz and made every possible effort to fight for him.* And Republican senators stood up to him and told him flatly: no, never, forget it.
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https://www.newsweek.com/4-republican-senators-matt-gaetz-believed-tank-ag-nomination-1989853