In these dark times, it's more important than ever to nurse tendrils of joy. So it is a great pleasure to watch all the Republican leaders who repeatedly intervened to protect Donald Trump from himself now reap their reward: a big ol' contempt loogie in their eyes. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. and his allies turned their nose up at the chance to bar Trump from ever running for office again after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. In turn, Trump has worked to humiliate them by nominating the worst possible people for high-level federal appointments.

If Gaetz's goal was burying the findings, he may have just ensured that they get much wider hearing than they would have if he had just kept quiet.

Trump's loyalty tests of congressional Republicans have escalated quickly from "walk naked through the streets" levels to "eat puke" levels. First, it was the nomination of Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary, even though he admitted the Army "spit me out" after "members of my own unit in leadership deemed that I was an extremist or a white nationalist because of a tattoo." (It's multiple tattoos that are understood this way by Christian and white nationalists themselves.) Then Trump escalated to nominating substitute Fox News host Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, despite her affection for dictators like Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which then-Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill. deemed "traitorous." Then the topper: Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to be the attorney general.

Typically, someone in Gaetz's situation would keep his current role in Congress until he was confirmed in the new job, but despite the GOP's razor-thin margins in the House, he resigned immediately. Politico then reported that the resignation prevents the otherwise imminent release of "an Ethics Committee report investigating several allegations including that Gaetz engaged in sex with a minor." The Justice Department that Gaetz wishes to lead never charged him after a lengthy investigation, but Gaetz's good friend pled guilty, getting 11 years in prison for his role. Greenberg wrote a letter accusing Gaetz of "sexual activities" with an underage girl. In a text message to Trump associate Roger Stone, Greenberg wrote that "MG" and "I both had sex with the girl who was underage."

Want more Amanda........

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