Trump and Gaetz both won despite AG withdrawal, says CNN political analyst

The fallout is still being sorted from former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida withdrawing his bid for U.S. attorney general Thursday, but one CNN analyst says both he and the president-elect won the round.

Many recoiled when President-elect Donald Trump announced the nomination of Gaetz to the highest law enforcement office last week, especially after allegations involving underage sex trafficking. On Wednesday, members of the House Ethics Committee said they could not reach an agreement to publicly release a report about the claims.

'Either way, he gets the support now of the MAGA community who thinks that Democrats and haters of Donald Trump are just trying to take down Matt Gaetz.'

After Gaetz issued his withdrawal announcement, CNN political analyst Mark Preston reiterated his claim that Trump and the Florida congressman would win no matter what the outcome of his nomination.

"I'm of the conspiratorial class on this one," said Preston while his fellow CNN panelists laughed.

"No, I really am! So this is how I think it plays out," he continued. "I think Matt Gaetz is on the airplane, this idea's hatched for him to become nominee for attorney general. He knows within a few days that this House report is going to get released, OK? Either way, he gets the support now of the MAGA community who thinks that Democrats and haters of Donald Trump are just trying to take down Matt Gaetz.

"Now if they're successful in doing so, Matt Gaetz becomes a pariah within a community when that report's gonna get released anyway, but yet he has already established support [of the MAGA community]. Or if he gets through, then Donald Trump gets what he wants, right?" Preston says.

He went on to say that it really didn't matter who Trump installs into the Department of Justice as long as that person does what Trump wants them to do.

"It doesn't have to be Matt Gaetz. It could be Matt Thompson, or Matt Barnes. It could be any Matt!" he joked.

Preston posted the video of his comments about the Gaetz stratagem on his social media account. He also had a warning about Republican senators who rejected the nomination.

"Trump -- let alone his supporters -- keep scorecards ... there is only so many times the @GOP Senators will be able to defy Trump before he turns the firehose on them," Preston wrote.

Gaetz has vehemently denied all of the allegations leveled against him.

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