Before Matt Gaetz withdrew from his Attorney General nomination today, Morning Joe was furiously kibitzing over how he could be unraveled over allegations of having sex with a minor and attending drug-fueled parties. 

If they couldn’t obtain the House Ethics Committee report, the Senate would conduct its own investigation, bringing live witnesses to testify as to Gaetz’s activities–something that, Joe Scarborough argued, would be worse for the nominee.

That’s when MSNBC Republican Elise Jordan blew the lid off it, by claiming Gaetz was an “addict” twice over. It’s not simply an issue of morality.

“Your morality leads you to become compromised. And this is about not wanting a sex addict, not wanting a drug addict, having control of the nation’s top secrets at the end of the day.”

Whoa! He’s a “sex addict” and a “drug addict”—two very heavy accusations, made sans proof. 

Jordan didn’t explain precisely what she meant by “compromised.”  But presumably, she was suggesting that such a person would be vulnerable to blackmail. But would new information be compromising if the Democrats have already unloaded a ton of alleged dirt about him?

Joe Scarborough suggested that if Trump did an end-run on the Senate, going the recess appointment route, it would trigger a “constitutional crisis.” Funny: we don’t remember libs wringing their hands, or any constitutional crisis ensuing, when Barack Obama made 32 recess appointments, all to full-time permanent positions, and Bill Clinton made 139 recess appointments, 95 to full-time positions. 

Note: There was a humorous moment when Jordan said that when the FBI investigated her for in connection with her appointment as an aide to Pres. George W. Bush. They went back to her hometown and spoke with her “preacher.” Richard Haass, who also had gone through such an investigation, interjected to say that in his case, the FBI spoke with his “rabbi.” 

Here’s the transcript.

MSNBC
Morning Joe
11/21/24
6:06 am ET

JONATHAN LEMIRE: The House Ethics committee, Republicans on the committee, voted to block the release of this report yesterday. But there is a widely held belief — it will see the light of day. 

And we heard from the Senate yesterday, including Republicans in the Senate, saying, we need to see that. So that report will emerge.

But even were it not, there are serious questions about his qualifications, serious questions about his character. And Trump is trying to push his allies as far as he can in the upper chamber here. But we’re seeing some real resistance here. I’m told, last night, Gaetz’s nomination: deeply in doubt. 

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Well, and again, the Wall Street Journal editorial page brings up a great point. Even if they don’t release it in the House, it gets IIworse for him. Because they bring the witnesses IIlive to Capitol Hill. So this meltdown can occur on live television with live witnesses. Nobody, nobody should want that to happen in the Trump administration, and I doubt the AG nominee would want that to happen. 

I don’t, I’m not exactly sure what this stance is. Like, do they, if they’re going to try a recess appointment and start a constitutional crisis, they go that way. Why trot this around? This ends badly any way you cut it.

ELISE JORDAN: I think we also are just missing what this is about at the end of the day. You [gesturing to Richard Haass] had a full-field FBI background investigation. When I had one, and they’re going back to your home town and talking to the preacher, and checking with everyone.

RICHARD HAASS: With my rabbi.

JORDAN: It’s not because they care about your morality. They care about if your morality leads you to become compromised. And this is about not wanting a sex addict, not wanting a drug addict, having control of the nation’s top secrets at the end of the day.

And so why this is kind of a little bit important, and it’s not about morality at the end of the day.