Advertising

President-elect Donald Trump and Senate Republicans are already in a standoff of sorts, according to NBC News Senior National Political Reporter Sahil Kapur.

Trump nominated former Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general last week in a move that shocked Washington. The House Ethics Committee investigated Gaetz over allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. A witness reportedly told the panel she saw Gaetz at a drug-fueled party having sex with a 17-year-old girl in 2017 when he was about 35. The Department of Justice also investigated the matter and declined to bring charges.

The former congressman denies wrongdoing.

Gaetz resigned from the House on Wednesday, prompting the Ethics Committee to postpone a vote on whether to release its report. The panel meets on Wednesday to decide on how to proceed.

Trump’s pick has rankled senators, including some Republicans. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said a Gaetz confirmation process might not be “worth” the trouble. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have signaled outright opposition to the nomination. And Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who serves on the Judiciary Committee, said he would like to see the findings of the Ethics probe before voting on confirmation.

In the meantime, Trump has reportedly been calling Republican senators to try to salvage Gaetz’s nomination.

On Tuesday’s All In on MSNBC, Chris Hayes spoke with Kapur and likened the drama to a hazing ritual.

“I describe

this as a kind of frat hazing ritual in which the Republican Senate caucus is being instructed to crawl naked through the Capitol and eat dog food out of a can in taking on Matt Gaetz’s nomination and voting for him,” Hayes said, adding that “very few Republicans” actually want to vote for the ex-lawmaker.

“I think that’s right, Chris,” Kapur replied. “I would describe this as something of a cold war brewing between Donald Trump and Senate Republicans over this, which is that, yes, many Republicans have serious reservations about Matt Gaetz and would prefer that this nomination goes away before they have to vote on it. The reason is, if Donald Trump forces this vote and they shoot it down, it would weaken their president-elect out of the gate, and it would weaken the entire Republican Party.”

Kapur said that despite reluctance among Republican senators, Trump “doesn’t seem interested in withdrawing” Gaetz.

“He seems to be pushing Senate Republicans to see how far he can push them before they push back,” Kapur continued.

Watch above via MSNBC.

Tags: Donald Trump, Matt Gaetz, MSNBC, Sahil Kapur