MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle said she ‘threw up in her mouth’ and asked to cut to a commercial after a discussion about Matt Gaetz nomination for Attorney General on her show went sideways.
President-elect Donald Trump has pushed for the controversial Florida Congressman and MAGA loyalist to be the nation’s top law enforcement official in a move that has shocked Washington.
His nomination of Gaetz was the topic of discussion on Friday night on MSNBC’S ’11th Hour’, with Ruhle’s panel discussing the move.
Speaking on the show, Rep. Max Rose said he believes the nomination is actually around the 2026 gubernatorial race in Gaetz home state of Florida.
Rose said: ‘He’ll never get a vote. They’ll have to discard this race, and he’s gonna spend the next two years running for governor saying that, “The deep state establishment prevented me from winning,” and that’s the quintessential MAGA campaign for governor.’
Newsweek editor-at-large Tom Rogers added: ‘I do agree. He will probably have to pull out. Excuse me, that’s a bad choice of words.’
Host Stephanie Ruhle exclaimed: ‘Ohh!’, as Rogers added: ‘He will have to pull out before there’s a hearing, I think. This is really not gonna be something that goes over well.’
Ruhle then hilariously replied: ‘I just threw up in my mouth, and we have to go to commercial’, much to the hilarity of her guests.
Gaetz has served as a member of Congress since being elected to the role in 2016, but has resigned from his role following Trump’s decision to nominate him.
It was announced earlier this year that the GOP lawmaker is under an investigation by the House Ethics Committee for 𝑠e𝑥ual misconduct, illicit drug use and bribery.
He was also the subject of a Justice Department investigation into 𝑠e𝑥 trafficking involving a 17-year-old girl, but charges were never brought.
‘It is my Great Honor to announce that Congressman Matt Gaetz, of Florida, is hereby nominated to be The Attorney General of the United States,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday afternoon.
‘Matt is a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney, trained at the William & Mary College of Law, who has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice,’ Trump continued.
The president-elect claimed in his post there are few issues in the U.S. more important than ‘ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System.’
Trump claimed Gaetz will ‘restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department.’
Gaetz posted on X in response to the announcement ‘It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!’
Gaetz gained prominence for his controversial remarks as a member of Congress and actions as a member of the Freedom Caucus.
After taking office during Trump’s first term, he became one of the lead critics into the Russia investigations into the 45th president.
In 2018, he invited an alt-right accused Holocaust denier as his guest to the president’s State of the Union address.
Last fall, Gaetz led the conservative Republicans’ effort to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy leading to the dramatic showdown and an embarrassing number of votes on Capitol Hill as GOP lawmakers scrambled to find a replacement.
The House Ethics Committee probe into Gaetz began in 2021 in response to a Justice Department request.
It expanded to include reviews of allegations of 𝑠e𝑥ual misconduct and illicit drug use as part of its long-running investigation earlier this year.
Gaetz has denied all allegations against him before the committee.
In September, the married lawmaker claimed the investigation was a ‘political payback exercise’ and argued the ‘lawful, consensual 𝑠e𝑥ual activities of adults are not the business of Congress.’
The nomination sets up an immediate loyalty test days after the president-elect sent a signal to Senate leaders by demanding power to make ‘recess appointments’ on his own when Congress is out of town.
Critics are calling the move to make Gaetz Attorney General a ‘cataclysmic’ event that puts Trump’s enemies in the firing line of the nation’s top law enforcement officer.
Even if Gaetz were to see his nomination falter, the clash could provide cover for other controversial Trump nominees.
It is also a new allegiance test for Senate Republicans, who elected Sen. John Thune as party leader on Wednesday over the MAGA-aligned Sen. Rick Scott, even after almost all of them got behind Trump’s presidential run.
Even if Gaetz were to see his nomination falter, the clash could provide cover for other controversial Trump nominees.
Trump announced his decision just minutes after issuing a statement saying he will nominate Tulsi Gabbard, who infuriated critics with claims about ‘biolabs’ in Ukraine, to be Director of National Intelligence.
He has also chosen Fox News host Pete Hegseth to run the sprawling Defense Department.