CNN Airs Montage of Republican Senators Dodging Questions About Gaetz Nomination: ‘Happy Thanksgiving’

CNN aired a montage of Republican senators dodging questions about President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial nomination of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) for attorney general on Wednesday.

Chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju told CNN host Erin Burnett, “It’s very clear, Erin, that this is going to be a rocky road to confirmation because a lot of Republicans are concerned about a number of things that Matt Gaetz has said or done over the years.”

He continued, “I tried to talk to a lot of Republican senators about Matt Gaetz being nominated to the post, and they made clear they were not ready to engage.”

Raju then played a compilation of Republican senators dodging his questions with remarks like, “I’m having trouble [hearing you]” and “We have a confirmation process.”

Asked for his thoughts on the nomination of Gaetz – who resigned from Congress on Wednesday in preparation for the position – Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said, “I don’t know yet, I’ll have to think about that one.”

“Do you have any concerns about him?” pressed Raju, to which Graham responded, “We’ll see.”

After Raju asked Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), “Do you think Matt Gaetz is confirmable?” Cornyn replied, “We’ll find out, won’t we?”

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) also dodged Raju’s questions, replying, “Happy Thanksgiving!” after the CNN correspondent asked, “Senator Kennedy, what do you think of Matt Gaetz as attorney general?”

“Several of those members on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which of course will play the key role in deciding whether or not to advance that nomination,” noted Raju after playing the montage.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) became the first Republican senator to openly oppose Trump’s nomination. Hours later, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) also signaled her opposition.

Watch above via CNN.