‘Going To Be a Wild Ride’: CNN’s Keilar Stunned By Trump Picking Matt Gaetz For AG, Plays Clip of McCarthy Roasting Him

CNN anchors Boris Sanchez and Brianna Keilar discussed President-elect Donald Trump’s shock pick for attorney general, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), with their panel on Wednesday.

“We are beginning to hear from some of his colleagues in the House and their reactions. Congressman Don Bacon of Nebraska, who was narrowly recently reelected, telling CNN, quote, ‘I got really no good comment.’ So take that for what it’s,” Sanchez began.

“Worth noting I think he probably speaks for many people on the Hill. And our panel with us again, Meghan Hays and Scott Jennings. I just want to play a sound bite from Kevin McCarthy in May of 2024, and then we’ll talk about it as we look at some live pictures of Trump’s plane in Florida. This is Kevin McCarthy in May of 2024 about why he lost his speakership,” Keilar added, before playing the clip:

And I’ll give you the truth, why I’m not speaker is because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old. An ethics complaint that started before I ever became speaker. And that’s illegal. And I’m not going to get in the middle. Did he do it or not? I don’t know. But ethics is looking at it and there’s other people in jail because of it.

“He’s talking about the AG pick of Trump,” Keilar added.

Jennings replied, “Yeah. Well, I think it’s safe to say that opinions vary. And Kevin McCarthy will probably not be coming around. I mean, he’s been a McCarthy been a strong supporter of Trump and obviously has been, I think, maybe even offering some advice on the transition. Probably didn’t advise on this one so much.”

“You know, something that Moskowitz said that sticks out to me truthfully is, you know, Gaetz is a he is a smart person and he thinks through ways to make people’s heads explode here in Washington, D.C., which is probably something that Trump is drawn to in this case. So, you know, this is not a bumbler. You know, this is somebody that’s going to show up with a plan if he makes it through confirmation. So I think what Moskowitz said is absolutely 100% true,” Jennings argued.

“And this is making everyone’s head explode right now as we’re all watching it unfold in real-time. And I’m sure we’ll have a lot more opinions on that,” Hays replied.

“Do you imagine that Democrats will approach some of those Republicans in the Senate who have previously broken with Trump to try to talk them out of a vote for Gaetz?” Sanchez followed up.

“Yes. And I think they’ll be some other folks like Tulsi Gabbard and some other of the intelligence folks that are out there that I think the Democrats will try to get not confirmed,” Hays replied.

“I generally think Trump deserves a chance to build his government, though. I mean, some of these people are what you would consider conventional. Some are less conventional. He did win. And I do think he deserves a chance to build his government. And I think the Senate is going to give him some latitude on these because he is the president. And these people are I mean, you know,” Jennings continued as Hays added:

That’s why we have a confirmation process. They don’t need it. But you got to nominate people that it’s the Senate’s responsibility to confirm them. So he’s having a chance to build his government. These folks now need to go make their case, but it’s up to the senators to confirm them. And I would assume some of these are not going to get confirmed.

“Well, it is going to be a wild ride,” replied Keilar.

Watch the clip above via CNN.