President-elect Donald Trump appears to have announced he wanted Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to be his next attorney general without consulting his next chief of staff — even though she was just in another room of his airplane, according to a new report.
Trump's controversial decision to place Gaetz — the subject of a sex-trafficking investigation — at the top of the Justice Department seems to have been made without the knowledge of Susie Wiles, Politico reported Thursday.
"[Boris Epshteyn] played a central role in the development, lobbying Trump to choose Gaetz," Politico reported, "while incoming White House chief of staff [Wiles] was in a different, adjacent room on the plane, apparently unaware."
A Trump adviser explained to the Bulwark on Wednesday that Trump wanted an attorney general who would be willing to go into the Justice department and "start cuttin’ f-----’ heads."
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The decision caused an uproar considering the federal probe into allegations that Gaetz had been involved in trafficking a 17-year-old girl. Criminal charges were never filed and Gaetz repeatedly denied the accusations.
According to Politico, Gaetz was not on the shortlist of possible attorney general as of Monday.
"Pretty much every Hill Republican we spoke with thinks there’s something strange going on here," Politico reported. "And the early reactions haven’t exactly been encouraging for Gaetz."
Among Senate Republicans who have expressed hesitancy to confirm Trump's selection are Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Thom Tillis (R-NC), Politico reported.
“I have very few skills, vote counting is one," Tillis said. "And I think he’s got a lot of work to get 50."
Wiles reportedly was hesitant to accept a chief of staff position from Trump without certain conditions, among them that she wanted control over who could reach him.
"The Gaetz-for-AG plan came together yesterday, just hours before it was announced," Politico reported. "It was hatched aboard Trump’s airplane en route to Washington, on which Gaetz was a passenger."