Cruz calls Gaetz pick 'very surprising,' will assess on 'merits'

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) said that President-elect Trump choosing Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to serve as attorney general was "very surprising," though he has "trust" in the confirmation hearing process.

"As for that particular nomination, look, we have a process under the Constitution where the Senate provides advice and consent. And I trust that process," Cruz told Newsmax's Bianca de la Garza on Thursday. "That nominee, like every other will, will have a vigorous vetting, will have confirmation hearings. And every nominee is going to be judged on the merits."

"I will say that was a pick that was, I think, very surprising to the entirety of the Senate," Cruz added.

Cruz's comments come as Trump’s pick of Gaetz as attorney general sent shock waves through Washington; a source in the room where House Republicans were waiting to start leadership elections at the time said there were audible gasps when Trump made the announcement.

Trump's nod toward Gaetz also coincides with a House Ethics Committee investigation into the Florida congressman over allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, among other claims.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) also announced on Wednesday that Gaetz had resigned from Congress “effective immediately," essentially killing the probe.

Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R), an ardent Trump ally, warned his Republican colleagues on Thursday that “we’re gonna try to get you out of the Senate” if they oppose Trump's picks and legislative agenda.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — who's been locked in a long-standing feud with Gaetz after the Florida congressman spearheaded the effort to oust McCarthy as Speaker — predicted that Gaetz would not get confirmed by the Senate during an interview on Bloomberg Television earlier this week.

“Look, Gaetz won’t get confirmed,” McCarthy, a loyal Trump ally, had said. “Everybody knows that.”

Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) was quick to urge the Ethics Committee to "preserve and share" its report on Gaetz on Thursday, despite his resignation. The panel could still vote to release the report, in what would be a rare move.