Beef Supreme: For Some Trump Cabinet Picks, It's Personal

Posted • November 14, 2024: One of the lessons learned in the first Trump administration is that you can't put a regular swamp creature into a position of power and expect him or her to go up against the entrenched machine to the degree necessary. Washington pros still place too much trust in the establishment — or more to the point, the people within the apparatus. And they still play by the old rules. So Trump has come up with an ingenious way to squish-proof top officials in his incoming administration: He's placing people in charge of agencies and departments who were personally targeted by those agencies and departments. These people have beef, and they're coming to DC to settle it. It's kind of brilliant when you think about it. Let's look at two picks (so far) who have an ax to grind and aren't about to go weak at the knees when serious decontamination and reform are needed.

THE PICK: Matt Gaetz for Attorney General. THE BEEF: A weaponized DOJ investigation that painted Gaetz as a “sex trafficker.” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is a far-right disruptor in the U.S. House. He is a pain, but he is also effective in his way. So, as is its wont, the leftist Biden DOJ spent a couple of years smearing the firebrand congressman with vile accusations that its fellow travelers in the dinosaur media amplified throughout the public sphere. Once the man's reputation had been thoroughly sullied, the DOJ dropped the investigation without filing charges. During the probe, the feds used one of their favorite pressure tactics on the target: dragging his family members into the fray. Their unfounded intimations regarding Gaetz's father, Don Gaetz, inspired a $25 million extortion plot against the elder man. Stephen Alford, 62, eventually pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with his fake pardon scheme, but not before the situation led some people to smear even Matt Gaetz's father.

All in all, Gaetz was put through the wringer by these people. He appeared on Laura Ingraham's show in 2023 to discuss the dropped charges, where he came across as a thoroughly decent person. He also adeptly pointed out the career-ending naughty behavior of his antagonizers. The Fake News media endlessly propagandized my life and told lies about me because I’m effective at impacting legislation. They always come for the fighters. We all have to watch our back because that’s where the target is. (And no, I'm not particularly concerned that the Republican-led House was just about to release a report on its own investigation into Gaetz. He went after establishment Republicans harder than he did House leftists, and he made plenty of enemies on both sides of the aisle.) Our weaponized prosecutorial apparatus — on the national, state, and local levels — is one of the biggest problems with the leftist establishment, and correcting it must take priority.

Biden's weaponized DOJ spent two years terrorizing and slandering Gaetz, and you can bet that anyone who has put up with that abuse will go into the top spot at the DOJ loaded for bear. (…)

• More at: PJ Media - Beef Supreme: For Some Trump Cabinet Picks, It’s Personal
https://pjmedia.com/athena-thorne/2024/11/14/beef-supreme-for-trumps-cabinet-picks-its-personal-n4934275