President-elect Trump has suffered a self-inflicted black eye with the withdrawal of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) from consideration as attorney general.

Trump had startled even some of his supporters by choosing Gaetz for the crucial position atop the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the first place.

Now he is seeking to move on as fast as possible by nominating another pro-MAGA figure from Florida — the state’s former attorney general, Pam Bondi — to take Gaetz’s place as his nominee.

In a statement on social media, Trump hailed Bondi as someone who could “refocus” the DOJ on fighting crime after it had been “weaponized” against him. Critics who recall Bondi leading chants of “lock her up!” against Hillary Clinton during the 2016 Republican National Convention may be skeptical of that claim.

In any event, Trump has incurred some damage over the brief course of the Gaetz nomination.

The former congressman — who resigned his seat only days ago, immediately following his nomination by Trump — was a divisive figure on Capitol Hill even apart from the lurid allegations that have swirled around his personal conduct.

His reputation for show-boating and self-promotion meant that any reservoir of goodwill among his colleagues was shallow indeed. It seemed increasingly likely that his confirmation would have failed had he pressed ahead.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told reporters on Thursday it was “pretty obvious” Gaetz did not have the votes to prevail in a........

© The Hill