WASHINGTON (AP) — Just hours after Republican Sen. John Thune was elected as the new Senate Majority Leader on Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump presented her with one of his first tests — an announcement that he plans to nominate controversial. Rep. Matt Gaetz as Attorney General.

The Florida Republican is one of the most disliked members of Congress, including among GOP lawmakers, after leading the effort to oust Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy last year. He spent his career in Congress acting against the Department of Justice and was under a House ethics investigation investigating whether he engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts and attempted to obstruct government investigations into his conduct. Gaetz denies the allegations.

Asked about the nomination as he walked away from the Senate vote, Thune smiled and declined to answer. “That’s probably a good question for the chairman of the Judiciary Committee,” he said.

An hour earlier, the likely next chairman of the Judiciary panel, Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, also deflected, saying he did not know Gaetz but would look into the nomination. “Don’t ask me any more questions,” Grassley said.

It’s a familiar posture for Republican senators who have lived the past eight years dodging questions about Trump and defending him, even as he tried to reverse his 2020 election defeat and his supporters. they took the US Capitol by force. But the stakes are even higher now that he has been decisively elected to a second term. Republicans in Congress have gathered intensely around himstaking his political future on his success.

Two months before Trump takes office, he is already provoking those Republicans in Congress to defy him as he nominates potentially controversial figures to his cabinet — including Gaetz, the former Democratic House representative. Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and conservative media personality Pete Hegseth for the secretary of defense. On Sunday, Trump even said in a post on X that he wants the new Senate leader to allow him to make appointments when the chamber is in recess, bypassing confirmation votes altogether.

“I think it’s a little bit of a test,” said Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, who called Gaetz’s nomination a “Hail Mary” from Trump. Cramer said he sees Gaetz as a disruptive force in the House and has concerns about the “serious allegations” against him, but stopped short of saying he would not vote to confirm him.

“It’s going to take a lot of political capital to carry it through,” Cramer said, adding that “there will forever be tension between the branches.”

What’s not clear is how much political capital Trump will have to expend to make his choices — or even if he will need to. Republicans will have a 53-seat majority in the Senate next year, giving them room to lose a few votes.

Immediately after his election as the new GOP leader, Thune suggested the Senate would not fully relinquish its power to vet nominations — but kept the door open to Trump’s suggested changes.

“The Senate has an advisement and consent rule in the Constitution,” Thune said, adding that Senate Republicans will do everything they can to quickly bring in Trump’s nominees.

“How that happens remains to be seen,” Thune said.

While Trump’s announcement of Gaetz immediately sent shockwaves around Capitol Hill, many Republican senators who will be tasked with confirming him have been reluctant to publicly criticize the choice.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the judicial panel, said he did not know Gaetz “other than as a public persona” and said he would not “prejudge any of these nominations.”

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, elected Wednesday as the new No. 2 Republican in the Senate next year, would only say that Trump “will continue to make his appointments. We will continue to look forward to them coming to the Senate and having hearings and confirming his cabinet as quickly as possible.”

“I have nothing for you,” said Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama. “We’ll see,” Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said when asked if he would support Gaetz’s confirmation.

Several GOP senators praised Gaetz, who resigned from the House shortly after the announcement, ending the House ethics investigation and making way for a replacement to be chosen before the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3.

“I’ve known Matt for a very long time, we’re friends,” said Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who was nominated for secretary of state on Wednesday but was instead inundated with questions about Gaetz. “I think he would do a very good job for the president.”

Gaetz is “a smart, smart guy,” South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said, though he said he “will have to answer some tough questions in the hearing and we’ll see how he does.”

Other Republican senators, like Cramer, were skeptical, without saying they would oppose his nomination.

Gaetz “will have his work cut out for him,” North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said, adding that “it should be a popcorn confirmation hearing.”

Maine Sen. Susan Collins said she was “shocked” by Gaetz’s nomination.

“I recognize that the president-elect has the right to nominate whoever he wants, but we in Congress have a responsibility under the Constitution and our advice and consent, which will lead to hearings, an FBI background check and a lot of questions. asked in this case,” Collins said.

Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, and said last year that the Justice Department’s investigation into sex-trafficking allegations involving underage girls ended without federal charges against him.

Democrats were horrified.

“This nomination is the first test of whether Republicans are willing to stand up to Donald Trump and go with conscience and conviction, as opposed to fair policy,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, a Democratic member of the panel.

New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, DN.M., was even more direct.

“People voted for cheaper eggs, no f@#€ whatever,” he posted on X, referring to last week’s election.