Former House Republican says Gaetz nomination is 'a bridge too far'

Former Republican Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania suggested that Rep. Matt Gaetz's (R-Fla.) nomination by President-elect Trump to serve as attorney general would be withdrawn.

"I would say, in the case of Matt Gaetz, I bet they're going to have to withdraw his nomination. I think that's a bridge too far," Dent told CNN's Abby Phillip on Friday.

Trump has faced some pushback since tapping Gaetz as attorney general, which comes as the former congressman faced an investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, among other things. The probe was opened in 2021, shortly after news reports emerged that the Department of Justice (DOJ) was reportedly investigating whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl.

Gaetz has denied allegations of wrongdoing, and the DOJ declined to charge him with a crime. In September, Gaetz said he would “no longer voluntarily participate” in the “nosy” Ethics probe and would not comply with its subpoena.

Dent mentioned the House Ethics report, warning that it could be an obstacle for Gaetz if it's released.

"That ethics report that's looming, there's a good chance that might come out, as well, and those reports are not pretty," Dent said, citing his post as the chairman of the House Ethics Committee during his time in Congress as credibility.

"You don't resign from Congress if that report's gonna be clean -- it's not gonna be clean," Dent added, referring to Gaetz's resignation from Congress soon after Trump's nomination.

Gaetz had also made controversial headlines last year as the former congressman spearheaded the effort to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from his post as House Speaker last fall. The former Speaker resigned from the House late last year and has claimed that Gaetz only wanted to remove him over an ethics complaint.

During the interview, Dent argued that the dynamics among House Republicans might cause Gaetz some trouble as he seeks Senate confirmation.

"No one should underestimate how much these House Republicans dislike him. I mean, dislike is actually -- that's a dramatic understatement, to use that term to describe how much they dislike him," Dent said.