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Even some of Donald Trump\u2019s<\/strong> allies are reportedly alarmed by his latest nominees\u2014particularly his choice of Matt Gaetz<\/strong> to lead the Justice Department. Gaetz, a far-right provocateur and MAGA loyalist, was already unpopular on Capitol Hill for spearheading a campaign to remove former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy<\/strong> over a year ago. And that was before<\/em> the House Ethics Committee concluded its investigation into claims that Gaetz had sex with a minor.<\/p>\n Now that report\u2014scheduled for release on Friday<\/a>\u2014may never be published. And Republican Senators are balking at the prospect of confirming the candidate that former UN ambassador John Bolton<\/strong> dubbed<\/a> \u201ca person of moral turpitude\u201d and \u201ctotally incompetent.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m sure it will make for a popcorn-eating confirmation hearing,\u201d Senator Thom Tillis<\/strong> told the Associated Press<\/a>, adding that Gaetz would have to do \u201ca lot of work\u201d to find the requisite 50 votes, even in the Republican-controlled Senate.<\/p>\n Gaetz is not the only Trump nominee to raise eyebrows among Republicans. However, it\u2019s fair to say he\u2019s caused the most consternation. Several senators also reacted with surprise<\/a>\u2014if not all-out bafflement<\/a>\u2014when Trump tapped Army veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth<\/strong> for Secretary of Defense. The president-elect simultaneously nominated former Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard<\/strong> as director of national intelligence, despite the secret trip<\/a> she once took to hang out with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad<\/strong> while a member of Congress. And Trump\u2019s choice of anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.<\/strong>, to head the Department of Health and Human Services has concerned<\/a> even some former GOP health officials, with one saying before Trump\u2019s announcement: \u201cTo even allude to someone who has been a known, non-science based critic of vaccines, is a disservice to the public, to parents, to the children.\u201d Senator Susan Collins<\/strong> said Thursday<\/a> that some of Kennedy\u2019s statements alarmed her. \u201cWe went from some solid picks to some interesting wildcards, to some that are more than controversial, no way confirmable.\u201d<\/p>\n The president-elect has<\/em> appeared eager to provoke the Senate as he revs up for his second term. Matthew Bartlett<\/strong>, a GOP strategist, told Politico<\/a> \u201cthis is Trump daring the US Senate\u201d to defy his nominations. Over the weekend, Trump encouraged<\/a> Senate Republicans to pick a new majority leader who would allow him to bypass the confirmation process\u2014an unprecedented breach of legislative history and procedure. If the reaction to Gaetz\u2019s nomination indicates anything, it\u2019s that many Republicans aren\u2019t yet willing to give that particular check-and-balance up. Several have already called on the House Ethics Committee to release the results<\/a> of its recent probe into Gaetz\u2019s conduct. On Thursday, Senator Lindsey Graham<\/strong> told reporters<\/a> that Gaetz would \u201chave to answer some tough questions\u201d during the confirmation process. And Senator Lisa Murkowski<\/strong> said she didn\u2019t consider Gaetz \u201ca serious nomination.\u201d<\/p>\n Gaetz\u2019s House colleagues have been, if anything, even less generous: \u201cGaetz has a better shot at having dinner with Queen Elizabeth II than being confirmed by the Senate,\u201d one Ohio Republican said<\/a>. Queen Elizabeth II is, of course \u2026 dead.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n