Matt Gaetz withdrew his bid to serve as attorney general in the next Trump administration, but the question remains: Can he go back to his old job as a member of Congress? Gaetz, for his part, has only expressed an intent not to take the oath of office for the 119th Congress -- which begins on Jan.

“Nominating Gabbard for director of national intelligence is the way to Putin’s heart, and it tells the world that America under Trump will be the Kremlin’s ally rather than an adversary,” authoritarian scholar Ruth Ben-Ghiat told the Times.

One political scientist told Newsweek Gaetz's nomination would reveal which Senate Republicans "have a modicum of independence."