Ted Cruz gives a surprising response when asked if he vote to confirm Matt Gaetz as his Attorney General pick

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz did not perpetrate to backing Matt Gaetz for lawyer wide erstwhile asked Thursday. 

Cruz demurring connected the substance is the latest incidental highlighting Congress' hesitancy to get behind Donald Trump's nominee. 

Both Republicans and Democrats person bristled astatine the thought Gaetz could beryllium the apical instrumentality enforcement authoritative successful the U.S.

When Newsmax host Bianca de la Garza pressed Cruz connected whether helium would ballot for Gaetz connected Thursday, Cruz avoided answering caput on, saying alternatively he'd alternatively the erstwhile Florida lawmaker spell done confirmation hearings first.

'The question is, volition helium marque it done confirmation? Will you ballot to corroborate him? What bash you deliberation of him arsenic a pick?' de la Garza asked. 

Cruz did not reply 'yes.' 

The Republican replied: 'As for that peculiar nomination, look, we person a process nether the Constitution wherever the Senate provides proposal and consent. And I spot that process.'

'That nominee, similar each different will, volition person a vigorous vetting, volition person confirmation hearings. And each nominee is going to beryllium going to beryllium judged connected the merits.'

Cruz admitted to the Newsmax big helium and his colleagues were shocked by Trump picking Gaetz. 

'I volition accidental that was a prime that was, I think, precise astonishing to the entirety of the Senate,' helium said. 'And truthful we’ll measure the nominee connected the merits.'

'But but determination is simply a process that volition unfold that examines a peculiar nominee’s background, their acquisition and their suitability for a role.'

Gaetz's qualifications for the apical instrumentality enforcement relation person travel into question since the announcement. 

And erstwhile allegations astir intersexual misconduct and cause usage whitethorn murky the Florida man's chances of getting confirmed to the position. 

Gaetz had been the taxable of a yearslong House Ethics Committee probe that ended Wednesday aft his abrupt resignation from Congress, 1 time aft Trump shockingly nominated him to beryllium the apical instrumentality enforcement authoritative successful the nation.

The resignation means the committee nary longer has jurisdiction implicit Gaetz. They adjacent canceled an upcoming gathering Friday to sermon releasing the report.

The FBI had investigated akin claims against Gaetz, but the DOJ opted not to indict him implicit claims helium enactment trafficked a 17-year-old girl.

Trump's prime of the embattled erstwhile congressman to oversee the Justice Department, FBI, DEA, ATF and related agencies has shocked Republicans and Democrats. 

Now, immoderate Republican senators who volition ballot connected his information are demanding to reappraisal the House study earlier the 42-year-old Florida antheral is capable to articulation Trump's Cabinet. 

'The President's relation is to marque the nomination, but we request to person implicit vetting of the nominees, not lone truthful we cognize that the nominee is qualified, but besides to support the president,' Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Thursday. 

He 'absolutely' wants to reappraisal the House Ethics Committee's study connected Gaetz's conduct.

Cornyn adjacent floated the thought of taking ineligible enactment to reappraisal the report's contents. 

'There's assorted ways we tin glean entree to it, we tin subpoena it,' helium told reporters. 'I don't I don't deliberation immoderate of america privation to alert blind.'

Cornyn argued the Senate has a relation successful weeding retired unqualified candidates during the information process, and that doing truthful protects the president from imaginable atrocious apples.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., however, doesn't deliberation that volition work, nor does helium privation it to happen. 

When pressed connected if the Senate would beryllium capable to subpoena an unreleased House morals study Graham responded: 'I wouldn't deliberation so.'  

The South Carolinian besides added helium wouldn't privation the House to beryllium capable to subpoena unreleased Senate reports. 

Gaetz has called the probe 'frivolous' and a smear run against him. 

Rep. Michael Guest, R-Ala., the president of the House Ethics Committee, reiterated Thursday that helium does not mean to merchandise the report. 

'What happens successful Ethics is confidential. We're going to support that confidentiality,' helium told reporters Thursday.

There is besides the anticipation that committee members, oregon staff, would leak the document. 

The apical Democrat connected the Ethics panel, Glenn Ivey, D-Md., told DailyMail.com helium had nary cognition of immoderate anticipated Ethics leaks for Gaetz's file. He said helium couldn't callback different lawsuit of a study from the committee being leaked. 

On the different hand, Ivey noted that Gaetz has repeatedly accused the Ethics Committee of leaking accusation regarding their investigation, though helium denied the allegations.  

But that has not stopped senators from calling to spot the report. 

Democratic Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin wrote Thursday: 'I americium calling connected the House Ethics Committee to sphere and stock their study and each applicable documentation connected Mr. Gaetz with the Senate Judiciary Committee.'

When asked if helium wanted to spot the Gaetz study Thursday Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said helium does.

'It'll beryllium a good bony comb,' the Alabaman said of reviewing Gaetz's file. 'And they knew that going in.' 

'It volition beryllium 1 of those [nominations] that volition beryllium good scrutinized,' helium added. 

Still, Tuberville says helium likes the erstwhile Florida lawmaker

'I'm a Matt Gaetz instrumentality due to the fact that I've known it for him for a agelong time. He's smart, been connected Judiciary [Committee] for 7 years, a precise bully lawyer, good spoken, believes successful the Constitution and I deliberation he'd bash a large job.'

Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., told DailyMail.com 'I request to larn much astir him mostly ... I'm definite immoderate accusation I request to reappraisal volition beryllium forthcoming.' 

Trump, however, has demanded that the Senate usage 'recess appointments' to corroborate Cabinet nominees. 

'Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP presumption successful the United States Senate indispensable hold to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we volition not beryllium capable to get radical confirmed successful a timely manner,' Trump wrote connected X Sunday. 

This cuts against the desires of galore Republican senators to clasp hearings and votes for nominees. 

'I'm good with it, but I anticipation we don't person to bash it,' Tuberville said of Trump's recess appointments. 'I anticipation we tin conscionable bash them ourselves and and spell done the aforesaid process.' 

'Well, I deliberation we ought to beryllium capable to spell done the regular process,' Republican Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts told DailyMail.com. 

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told DailyMail.com: 'I deliberation it's excessively aboriginal to archer whether you request to spell to immoderate benignant of bonzer measures to bash it.'

'I'm not opposed to it, but there's each kinds of ins and outs of however you get to that.'

Paul, who volition beryllium president of the president of the Senate Committee connected Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs travel January, noted helium is readying connected having hearings for nominees nether his purview. 

Meaning South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who Trump nominated for Department of Homeland Security secretary, volition request to sit earlier Paul's sheet earlier getting confirmed into Trump's Cabinet.  

'My program is to person hearings astatine the archetypal imaginable day for the ones I'm successful complaint of,' helium revealed.