Like the Media Research Center, Newsmax was at least somewhat enthusiastic about Matt Gaetz’s short-lived nomination as attorney general. It started things off with a wire story on the announcement, followed by the usual talking-head endorsements:
- Report: Gaetz Will ‘Start Cuttin’ … Heads’
- Sen. Lankford to Newsmax: Rep. Gaetz Should Get a Fair Shake
- Corey Lewandowski to Newsmax: Gaetz Nomination ‘Not a Head Fake’
- Sen. Graham: Give Gaetz a Chance
- Rep. Van Duyne to Newsmax: Gaetz ‘Works Well’ With Trump
- Rep. Mark Alford to Newsmax: Gaetz ‘Perfect Person’ for DOJ
- Rep. Perry to Newsmax: We Need Gaetz as AG Right Now
- Musk Extols Gaetz for AG Post: ‘Hammer of Justice’
- Report: Trump Pressing GOP Senators to Confirm Gaetz
But Gatez’s reputation preceded him, something even Newsmax admitted would hamper the nomination proceses:
- Senate Raises Bipartisan Concerns Over Gaetz
- John Bolton to Newsmax: Gaetz Lacks ‘Moral Integrity’ for AG
- Rep. Van Drew to Newsmax: ‘Surprised’ Gaetz ResignedRe
- GOP Senators: Gaetz’s AG Nomination Facing Uphill Battle
- Peter King to Newsmax: Gaetz Nomination ‘Biggest Question Mark’
And then there was the House Ethics Committee’s investigation into his, shall we say, unsavory behavior, something Newsmax also had to admit:
- Gaetz Ethics Report Could Hinder Senate Confirmation
- Speaker Johnson: Ethics Should Not Release Gaetz Report
- Republican Senator Calls on House to Share Matt Gaetz Ethics Report
- Rep. Gimenez to Newsmax: Senate Should Receive Gaetz Report
- Senate Judiciary Committee Dems Ask FBI for Gaetz Files
- Sen. Rounds: Lack of Gaetz Report Could Delay Confirmation
- Sen. Cornyn to Gaetz: Everything Will Eventually Come Out
Still, Newsmax columnists shilled for Gaetz’s nomination. Jeff Crouere touted that Gaetz would act in a partisan manner on behalf of Trump:
For a president to be shielded from the opposition party’s investigations, he needs a “wingman” as attorney general, the role Holder performed for Obama. Thus, the congressional hearings on the Benghazi terrorist attack, the “Fast and Furious” gun running operation and the Internal Revenue Service’s illegal targeting of Tea Party groups all went nowhere.
While all these scandals should have produced indictments and convictions, the only thing that Republicans garnered was extreme frustration.
[…]In this first term, Trump did not have a “wingman” as attorney general. Fortunately, he will be returning to the White House and his second term is an opportunity to correct the few missteps of his remarkably successful first term.
One of the glaring mistakes of the first term was the inclusion of establishment Republicans in his administration. These appointments were not loyal to President Trump or his Make America Great Again (MAGA) agenda.
For his second term, he is wisely choosing loyalists who will support him and the MAGA agenda. While President Trump has made excellent selections for his cabinet, his best one was his choice for attorney general, former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz. In response to this announcement, heads exploded throughout Capitol Hill and in the left-wing news media.
[…]If confirmed, Gaetz will be an excellent attorney general. He will remove the left-wing bureaucrats hiding in the DOJ and he will pursue real justice, instead of political persecution and injustice.
Paul du Quenoy sereved up his own brand of fawning in a Nov. 20 column that weirdly framed the House ethics investigation into Gaetz as “insolence,” with a side of whataboutism:
A subsequent Congressional investigation, whose results were due to be released on Friday, reviewed these and other allegations. In the interim, the only public source was a leaked affidavit from one of the witnesses, who alleged that Gaetz was present at a party that had drugs and bedrooms.
We are supposed to believe that this is a scandal of such consequence that Gaetz should be denied confirmation.
Recall, however, that many of those urging this measure castigated critics of Bill Clinton’s affair with a White House intern, a lapse that was not merely alleged but proved and admitted by the former president, who was subsequently disbarred from legal practice for having perjured himself about the matter before a federal grand jury.
Democrats also had no problem confirming Biden Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy Sam Brinton (they/them), whose brief included nuclear waste disposal, despite his side hustle teaching sadomasochism workshops.
Brinton was fired after twice stealing ladies’ luggage from airport baggage carousels but has so far avoided jail time.
What’s the difference? Clinton and Brinton are Democrats, while Gaetz is a Republican.
du Quenoy’s column also laughably started with an “editor’s note” disclaimer: “The following opinion column does not constitute an endorsement for any potential federal-level nominee, or currently active for consideration federal nominee, on the part of Newsmax.” As if Newsmax has any intention of being neutral on anything involving Trump.
A day later, Gaetz withdrew from consideration — a Nov. 21 article by Mark Swanson reflected Newsmax’s ambivalence about this under the headline “Senate GOP Relieved, Disappointed Over Gaetz Withdrawal.” But an alternative narrative had already been set up. In a Nov. 14 Newsmax TV appearance, Hugh Hewitt agreed that Gaetz doesn’t belong “near the fifth floor of the Department of Justice,” but argued that “Trump could be playing 4D chess here” by giving Gaetz an opportunity to resign from the House, thus closing the book on his ethics investigation. Newsmax also published the same column by Josh Hammer making this same argument that WorldNetDaily did.