Gaetz asks Senate GOP for ‘fair shake’ with AG confirmation in jeopardy

Within hours of his nomination on Wednesday, Gaetz began placing calls to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, tasked with vetting his nomination at the start of the new Congress. He’s even contacted opponents, including Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), who had a public falling out with Gaetz over last year’s ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy. 

Gaetz’s outreach represents a first attempt to soften the opposition expected to his nomination as he navigates sexual misconduct allegations that are the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation, allegations that he denies. 

Gaetz, who resigned from the House shortly after his nomination, has also raised questions about his temperament for the job, as a partisan firebrand who alienated many Republicans with McCarthy’s removal as speaker.

By necessity, Gaetz has begun to rebuild those bridges in the Senate. He will need almost every GOP vote when Republicans assume control next year, as Democrats are universally expected to vote against his nomination.

In total, five Republican senators told the Washington Examiner they received a call from Gaetz over the last several days, three of whom sit on the Judiciary Committee.

“Oh, I think Congressman Gaetz has reached out to everybody,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), one member of the committee. “I mean, it would be malpractice for anybody in the White House to advise anything but ‘call every member on the R side.’”

Tillis suggested that the two had not yet connected over the phone but would be meeting in person as soon as this week. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), another Judiciary member, described a polite introductory phone call with Gaetz shortly before midnight on Wednesday.

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“He called me the night he was nominated, and I congratulated him, and he said, ‘Will I get a fair shake in the Senate?’ and I said, ‘Absolutely.’”

Senators were far more cagey about whether Trump has been personally lobbying on Gaetz’s behalf, though Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) told Axios on Monday that he received a call about the nomination.

Ramsey Touchberry contributed to this report.