Matt Gaetz never served as attorney general, but his nomination served many purposes.  How can this seeming circle be squared?  Simply look closely at all involved — from Trump to Gaetz to many others — and you will find many beneficiaries.  In short, it would be a mistake to assume that this early step was simply a misstep.

Matt Gaetz’s nomination set off an immediate firestorm.  Jaws dropped. Democrats flipped.  After all, this was the same congressman who was still under investigation by the House Ethics Committee and had been by the Department of Justice.  The charges were salacious to say the least.  Nor was Gaetz’s baggage all personal — he also carried much from having toppled Kevin McCarthy from the Speakership and thrown the House into prolonged turmoil.
Critics immediately harkened back to 2016, when in the wake of Trump’s surprise victory, they insisted that he was not up to the task of governing.  Today’s critics would be well disposed to take a close look at the players and how the Gaetz nomination played out.
Counterintuitive as it may seem, Gaetz benefited from this.  His nomination ended the House Ethics Committee probe.  Clearly, as his nomination withdrawal proves, the probe’s details were going to be damaging.  His nomination gave him the best possible cover to “get while the getting was good.”  He did so by receiving a promotion.  Certainly, there were some leaks of the probe’s details, but these were far less than what would have occurred if a full report had been released.
Trump benefitted too.  Gaetz’s nomination put an exclamation mark on the point all of his administration picks have made: Loyalty is paramount.  Gaetz’s nomination underscored that nothing outweighs this.  Nor will that message be lost on those remaining and those yet to come.
Trump got to make his point without paying a price for it. His transition ratings, even with the Gaetz nomination, are higher than his popular vote victory and his opposition less.  Nor will Trump have ...