{"id":2370685,"date":"2024-11-19T09:07:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T14:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-looks-for-workarounds-to-install-gaetz-as-ag-without-the-senate\/"},"modified":"2024-11-19T09:09:52","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T14:09:52","slug":"trump-looks-for-workarounds-to-install-gaetz-as-ag-without-the-senate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-looks-for-workarounds-to-install-gaetz-as-ag-without-the-senate\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump looks for workarounds to install Gaetz as AG without the Senate"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-looks-for-workarounds-to-install-gaetz-as-ag-without-the-senate%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2370685&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article \u2062discusses former President Donald \u2062Trump&#8217;s efforts to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">navigate potential\u200d obstacles<\/a> in securing the confirmation of\u200b Matt Gaetz\u2064 as Attorney General,\u2062 amid concerns from Senate Republicans about Gaetz&#8217;s support and controversies surrounding him.\u2062 Trump may try to\u2062 utilize the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, which allows\u2062 for temporary\u2062 appointments without Senate approval. While some in Trump&#8217;s circle suggest this could be \u200ca strategy to \u200bbypass the Senate&#8217;s confirmation process, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-sympathetic-but-cautious-of-shapiros-higher-ed-plan\/\" title=\"Republicans are supportive yet wary of Shapiro&#039;s higher education proposal\">experts express skepticism<\/a> about its applicability to \u200cGaetz, indicating that he may not\u200d meet the criteria for such appointments.<\/p>\n<p>The article also explores the possibility of Trump making recess\u200c appointments \u200dduring Senate \u200cbreaks to\u200c fill vacancies more swiftly,\u200c although recent internal Senate dynamics\u2062 and opposition from influential Republicans, like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, suggest he may face challenges in pursuing this approach. The overall sentiment conveys\u200d that Trump is considering alternative methods to assert control over executive appointments amidst a complicated political landscape.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">A &lsquo;Hail Mary&rsquo;: Trump looks for workarounds to install Gaetz without Senate<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1882772\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>As some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate-republicans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Senate Republicans\">Senate Republicans<\/a> privately and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3229222\/trump-cabinet-picks-shockwaves-washington-reckless\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">publicly<\/a> express doubt that former Florida Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/matt-gaetz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Matt Gaetz<\/a> has enough support to be confirmed as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3229178\/trump-nominates-matt-gaetz-as-attorney-general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">attorney general<\/a>, President-elect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> and his allies are beginning to float workarounds if the former Florida congressman doesn&rsquo;t have the votes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Trump can only afford three defections within the Senate Republican conference to get his picks confirmed with the GOP&rsquo;s 53-seat majority in the 119th Congress.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Four opposed Republican senators would be enough to sink any of his nominees, and two centrists, Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), have already expressed reservations about Gaetz, who has recently faced investigations into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3233045\/house-ethics-panel-meet-wednesday-gaetz-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">allegations of sexual misconduct<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998<\/h2>\n<p>Some of Trump&rsquo;s inner circle <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TrumpDailyPosts\/status\/1858558971126088011\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">claim <\/a>the incoming president could push through Gaetz&rsquo;s nomination using the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/legal\/federal-vacancies-reform-act\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998<\/a>, which allows for temporary appointments.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A Government Accountability Office <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/legal\/federal-vacancies-reform-act\/faqs-on-the-vacancies-act#:~:text=1.,referred%20to%20as%20PAS%20positions.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">explanation<\/a> of the act reads: &ldquo;If no one has been nominated to the position, an acting officer may serve in the position for no longer than 210 days beginning on the date of the vacancy. However, for any vacant positions that exist during the 60-day period beginning on a transitional Presidential inauguration day, an acting officer may serve in the position for no longer than 300 days beginning on the inauguration day or the date of the vacancy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&ldquo;President Trump Tells Senate Majority Leader Thune That If Matt Gaetz Is Not Confirmed As AG He Will Use The Federal Vacancies Reform Act To Appoint Him&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JeffClarkUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@JeffClarkUS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>From Steve Bannon War Room <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Bannons_WarRoom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Bannons_WarRoom<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tJV0zXA5nC\">pic.twitter.com\/tJV0zXA5nC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TrumpDailyPosts\/status\/1858558971126088011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 18, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>Philip Wallach, a senior fellow at the center-right American Enterprise Institute, said both Trump and President Joe Biden have successfully been able to assert their control over certain executive agencies without having to go through the congressional approval process, but with a big caveat.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It tends to work more for the lower-down positions rather than the top-level Cabinet positions,&rdquo; Wallach said.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, Trump utilized the provision to select Matthew Whitaker as a temporary replacement for then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/276940\/jeff-sessions-resigns-as-attorney-general-at-trumps-request\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">who resigned<\/a> at the president&rsquo;s request after his recusal from oversight of special counsel Robert Mueller&rsquo;s investigation into Russian election meddling. Whitaker had served as Sessions&rsquo;s chief of staff and was qualified since he had worked at the Justice Department for 90 consecutive days.<\/p>\n<p>However, experts do not believe Trump could use the law with any of the recent nominations.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There are three categories of folks that can serve in a temporary capacity of a vacant position,&rdquo; said Casey Burgat, an assistant professor and the Legislative Affairs Program director at George Washington University.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Someone at the agency at a senior level, someone who has already been confirmed by the Senate for a different role, which obviously does not include Gaetz,&rdquo; Burgat said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s some ambiguity in that language, but I think most people agree that it&rsquo;s someone at the agency who&rsquo;s assisted the vacant position,&rdquo; Burgat said. &ldquo;So, Gaetz obviously does not qualify for that. I don&rsquo;t know of a way that would be applicable to Gaetz.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Burgat said there could be workarounds to get Gaetz into a position inside the Department of Justice so that he could qualify as a &ldquo;first assistant,&rdquo; but there would likely be legal challenges.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It just seems to me like this&nbsp;is a full-on Hail Mary where they&rsquo;re going to make people defend the process and the act,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It looks like they are working on trying to find any way to get around the Senate, knowing that&rsquo;s going to be a tough confirmation the typical, traditional way.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Recess appointments&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p>Trump, who made a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3229222\/trump-cabinet-picks-shockwaves-washington-reckless\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">series of controversial Cabinet nominations<\/a> last week, called for Republicans to select a majority leader who would<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3230247\/recess-appointments-trump-skip-senate-confirmations-fill-cabinet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> allow him to make temporary appointments<\/a> while the Senate is in recess so Democrats are unable to slow down the confirmation process.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/recess-appointments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Recess appointments<\/a> are a constitutional power used regularly by past presidents and &ldquo;provide an alternative method of appointment that would allow the filling of vacancies &lsquo;without delay&rsquo; during periods of Senate absence,&rdquo; according to the nonpartisan <a href=\"https:\/\/crsreports.congress.gov\/product\/pdf\/RS\/RS21308#:~:text=1-,What%20Is%20the%20Purpose%20of%20a%20Recess%20Appointment%3F,%C2%A72%2C%20clause%203\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Congressional Research Service<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Now that Sen. John Thune (R-SD) has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3230739\/trump-delivers-thune-first-big-test-senate-gop-leader\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">elected<\/a> as the next leader of the Senate GOP,&nbsp; some members <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3230811\/trumps-demand-recess-appointments-faces-headwinds-controversial-cabinet-picks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">appear<\/a> to be more skeptical about fulfilling Trump&rsquo;s request if it would undercut the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-hail-mary-trump-looks-for-workarounds-to-install-gaetz-without-senate-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"A \u2018Hail Mary\u2019: Trump looks for workarounds to install Gaetz without Senate - Washington Examiner\">decision-making process due<\/a> to disapproval from fellow Republicans rather than Democrats.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think this was an entirely different situation on Tuesday during the leadership elections,&rdquo; said a Republican adviser to a high-ranking senator, speaking on the condition of anonymity. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t believe Thune &hellip; would have made this promise if it meant overruling members of [his] own conference.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AndrewDesiderio\/status\/1858616587689095539\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> reportedly indicated<\/a> he opposed recess appointments at a gathering with Trump&rsquo;s team on Sunday. He declined to elaborate further on Monday when questioned by reporters on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Asked Leader McConnell if he would support adjourning the Senate to allow Trump to make recess appointments. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Too early for interviews in the hall,&rdquo; he joked.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Allison Pecorin (@AllisonMPecorin) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AllisonMPecorin\/status\/1858612488893591869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 18, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>For years, Republicans and Democrats have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-demand-for-recess-appointments-faces-headwinds-following-controversial-cabinet-picks-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Trump\u2019s demand for recess appointments faces headwinds following controversial Cabinet picks - Washington Examiner\">utilized pro forma sessions<\/a> to block presidents from making recess appointments. When the Senate adjourns for longer recesses or district work periods, a senator goes into the chamber every couple of days to preside over an empty chamber.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For a recess appointment to be made, it would require the Senate to be adjourned for at least 10 days. But the House and Senate require one another&rsquo;s approval to adjourn for more than three days. That means the House could vote to adjourn for more than three days, the Senate declines to agree, and Trump could, theoretically, undertake the precedent-setting move of using his constitutional authority to resolve the conflict by forcing the Senate to adjourn also.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Gaetz is so disliked by members of his own party on both sides of the aisle, I just don&rsquo;t see enough Republicans in either chamber who would be willing to allow him to get installed,&rdquo; the same GOP adviser said.<\/p>\n<p>Wallach said attempting to bypass Congress with controversial nominations in the long run would not serve Trump well.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;A lot of Trump&rsquo;s agenda is really, you know, hard to pursue with passing laws, even though he&rsquo;s styled himself as someone blowing up the swamp,&rdquo; he explained.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If you want to do partisan legislating, you have to work really hard to keep all the Republicans happy, and just acting like they all have to come along with you is a good way of alienating at least a handful of them,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1882772\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1882772\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump seeks alternatives to appoint Gaetz as AG without Senate approval<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2370686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Matt-Gaetz-Novemebr-14-scaled-1024x682.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[32116,3624,3634],"class_list":["post-2370685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-attorney-general","tag-gaetz","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Matt-Gaetz-Novemebr-14-scaled-1024x682.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2370685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2370685"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2370685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2370689,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2370685\/revisions\/2370689"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2370686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2370685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2370685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2370685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}