Trump's 'alleged sex trafficking' resistance to attorney general nominee spreads

An unexpected obstacle has emerged in U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's plan to put a loyalist close politician in the position of attorney general.

NBC reported on the 16th local time that opposition to the confirmation of Attorney General Matt Gates is spreading within the ruling and federal Senate majority Republicans.

Under the U.S. Constitution, high-ranking officials nominated by the president, such as ministers, must go through a Senate confirmation hearing and a confirmation vote.

The federal Senate, which opens on January 3 next year, is 52-48, with Republicans holding a majority, so if only three or more insurrection votes do not come out, Trump's personnel plan can be realized as it is.

But nearly 30 of the 52 Republican senators believe Gates is ineligible to lead the Justice Department, according to NBC.

There are also many negative opinions within the Republican leadership.

Gates has received negative reviews for his expertise, including his short career as a lawyer, but what is particularly troubling is the alleged prostitution of minors.

Gates was the subject of a Federal Bureau of Investigation and FBI investigation in 2020 on charges of underage prostitution, and a close aide to the district who was charged with the same charge at the time was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison, but Gates was not charged with lack of evidence.

But apart from the legal action, the House Ethics Committee has also reportedly launched an investigation into Gates and heard firsthand testimony from a woman who allegedly engaged in prostitution transactions.

There are widespread calls among Republican senators as well as Democrats to release the House Ethics Committee report.

Currently, there are many observations in U.S. politics that Trump will use the Senate recess to bypass the confirmation process and appoint him as a minister for some nominees whose confirmation is unclear, such as Gates.