John Oliver quipped during his 11th season finale of Last Week Tonight that Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican nominated by President-elect Donald J. Trump to become the next attorney general despite a House ethics investigation into his alleged sexual misconduct, was voted by his high-school class as “Most likely to not be allowed within 500 feet of here.”
But that’s nothing compared to the real-life animosity Gaetz has inspired among his Republican congressional colleagues, as Oliver noted wryly: “That pick was so extreme even conservatives found themselves at a loss.”
The Last Week Tonight then shared a few Republican reactions to Gaetz’s candidacy, including Former Fox News host Geraldo Rivera, who said on News Nation: “When I heard Matt Gaetz was picked to be attorney general, I threw up in my mouth.”
New York congressman Mike Lawler also told CNN last week: “I’m pretty sure I called him a clown and a charlatan.”
Trump’s former National Security Adviser John Bolton even said during an interview on NBC’s Meet The Press that Gaetz “must be the worst nomination for a Cabinet position in American history.”
“I mean, it might?” Oliver offered in reply to the clip from Bolton. “But get used to it. Because the worst [blank] in American history is going to be this administration’s M.O. going forward. So get ready for the worst Easter egg roll in American history. The Easter Bunny will be on fire.”
Brett Hartl, the governmental affairs director for the Center for Biological Diversity, delivered this zinger to Politico: “Luckily all of our environmental laws are older than 18 years, so Rep. Gaetz shouldn’t have much interest in them.” Oliver applauded Hartl’s wisecrack as “a solid hit, and also incredibly grim,” considering the House investigation into allegations Gaetz had “engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. That report was due to be released this week, but was effectively ended when he suddenly resigned to become the country’s top law enforcement officer.”
Oliver noted that some details from the investigation have already come out, including one witness telling Congress she had sex with Gaetz when she was 17, and another testifying she witnessed it. The former Florida representative has denied all of the charges.
And yet, as Oliver also shared, some U.S. senators remain cagey with reporters about whether they’ll vote to confirm Gaetz or not, including perennially “shocked” and “concerned” Susan Collins (R-ME), John Cornyn (R-TX), Lindsey Graham (R-GA), and John Kennedy (R-LA). But Gaetz’s House colleagues are more forthright, including the aforementioned Lawler, and Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), who countered a query into Gaetz’s character and experience with: “Are you s—tin’ me, that you just asked that question? No!”
“Which is objectively the correct response to the idea that this guy could be attorney general,” Oliver replied. “A man who my lawyers insist I cannot call Jeffrey Epstein if he went to s–tier beaches, so I am not going to do that.”
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver returns to HBO and Max for Season 12 in February 2025.
The Daily Beast Podcast episodes are released every Thursday. Like and download on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app. And click here for email updates as each new episode drops.
