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“I was shocked at the nomination. 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 Mr. Gaetz’s hearing.”
— Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), quoted by Punchbowl News, on the nomination of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to be Attorney General.
“I’m struggling to find words. And look, he is uniquely qualified. How many other prospective attorneys general had previous experience as the subject of a criminal investigation?”
— An anonymous Justice Department official reacting to “President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Matt Gaetz — a Florida congressman who was recently the target of an FBI investigation — to be the next attorney general of the United States,” reports NBC News.
“The election campaign is over. To achieve success in the election, Donald Trump relied on certain forces to which he has corresponding obligations. As a responsible person, he will be obliged to fulfill them.”
— Russian presidential aide Nikolay Patrushev, quoted by TASS.
“If these career DOJ employees won’t implement President Trump’s program in good faith, they should leave. Those employees who engage in so-called ‘resistance’ against the duly-elected President’s lawful agenda would be subverting American democracy. … Those that take such actions would be subject to disciplinary measures, including termination.”
— Mark Paoletta, a conservative lawyer working on Donald Trump’s transition, warned career Justice Department lawyers Monday to advance Trump’s agenda or face being fired, Politico reports.
“We’re going to concentrate on the worst of the worst… It’s going to be a lot different to what the liberal media is saying it’s going to be.”
— Tom Homan, who oversaw Trump’s controversial family separation policy as acting ICE director, said the enforcement will be the “same as it was during the first administration” but Americans can expect “a hell of a lot more” deportations this time, reports the Sunday Times of London.
“If your political capital comes from picking on trans kids or gay kids or anything like that, you’re just bankrupt throughout all of this. My version of being a man is like, hey, I like rib-eyes, I like Motörhead, and I’m never going to pick on trans kids and gay kids… It doesn’t make you tough. It doesn’t make you a man to pick on trans or gay kids. It just makes you an asshole.”
— Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), on CNN.
“I’m not making any predictions, but one phrase (I don’t know who coined it) is sticking with me. I find myself ‘nauseously optimistic.’ It’s not based on the polls, the odds, or the punditry. It rests solely on my (possibly naive) belief that the American people cannot and will not look at Donald Trump and say, ‘Yeah, that’s who we are.’”
“When there were questions about Biden’s ability, it made perfect sense to them to switch to Trump, particularly since many believe they could influence him. Now with Kamala, I think they regret it, but they so publicly identified with Trump, they feel they have no choice but to stay with him. I’m guessing they feel that ‘worst case it’s only four years’ and best case they can influence him to do what they want.”
— Mark Cuban, quoted by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, on why many Silicon Valley tech leaders are backing Donald Trump.
“This was a hate rally. This was not just a presidential rally, this was also not just a campaign rally. I think it’s important for people to understand these are mini January 6 rallies, these are mini Stop the Steal rallies. These are rallies to prime an electorate into rejecting the results of an election if it doesn’t go the way that they want.”
— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), on MSNBC, about Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden.
“I hope that you will forgive me if I’m a little angry that we are indifferent to Donald Trump’s erratic behavior. His obvious mental decline, his history as a convicted felon, a known slumlord, a predator found liable for sexual abuse. All of this while we pick apart Kamala’s answers from interviews that he doesn’t even have the courage to do.”
— Michelle Obama, at a campaign rally for Kamala Harris.
