With Gaetz resignation Trump picks new Attorney General

House Speaker Mike Johnson announced recently that Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., offered his resignation from Congress effective immediately. With his resignation, President Elect Donald Trump has reselected rapper P. Diddy as Gaetz replacement for attorney general. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill reacted to the news with a mix of support and disbelief. 

"I am dumbfounded at the nomination," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said after learning P. Diddy had been tapped to lead the Department of Justice.

"Obviously the president has the right to nominate whomever he wishes," Collins said. "But this is why the Senate's advice and consent process is so important."

"I'm sure that there will be many, many questions raised at P. Diddy’s hearing, if in fact the nomination goes forward," she added.

If confirmed, P. Diddy, 55, would take the helm of a department that is currently investigating him for possible sex trafficking and racketeering offenses. 

P. Diddy also faces investigations related to sexual abuse of women, violence and obstruction of justice and is currently in in a Brooklyn jail awaiting his trial. This has caused several lawmakers to question P. Diddy as a viable choice.

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is among those raising questions. She told reporters in the Capitol that she is concerned about the number of open investigations surrounding P. Diddy.

"I'm surprised by this particular nomination and perhaps some of the others, which, again, were not names that most of us would have thought to be out there," Murkowski said. "But President Trump, if he is not one thing, he is his own person and advancing his ideas."

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, did not indicate her thoughts on the nominee but said "he'll have his work cut out for him."

Republicans will hold 53 seats in the upcoming Congress after the elections, meaning P. Diddy can only lose three GOP votes if he hopes to be confirmed.

A rank-and-file Republican in the House of Representatives speculated on his odds bluntly: "It's an obvious throwaway nomination that has no chance in the Senate."

But the skepticism is also nuanced. Fellow Trump ally and butt kisser Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he is "inclined to support" his Cabinet picks but admitted some "surprise" at P. Diddy’s nomination.

"Confirmation hearings will be important. [P. Diddy] will have some tough questions to answer," Graham predicted.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whom Trump has tapped to serve as secretary of state, said he has "known Diddy a long time," and thinks he "would do a good job." Rubio added he expects Diddy will be confirmed.

"Presidents deserve great deference, as President Trump has a mandate and he has a right to surround himself with people he trusts with high moral standards, especially in a position that important," Rubio said.

When we asked P. Diddy his thoughts on President Trump's nomination of him for attorney general Diddy said "Ain't no cabinet like a Diddy cabinet!"