It’s kind of a wonder, the way the Republicans have shifted to the political right. I mean, both parties have, technically. Democrats are a heck of a lot more conservative than they used to be.

But it seems more apparent on the right, because the people we thought were absolutely insane just a few years ago have begun to sound, dare I say, reasonable. It was always clear that some Republicans just weren’t into the histrionics of the rest of their Party. When John McCain ran for president, although his running mate was an utter clown, he maintained a sense of decency.

But in 2012, even the “decent” Mitt Romney seemed like an extremist when he picked Paul Ryan as his running mate. They seemed to be on a crash course to turn over America to the corporations (after all, “Corporations are people, my friend”).

Trump’s first term changed everything. Either you fell in lockstep and became MAGA, or you became someone that seemed like a unicorn — a reasonably Republican in a room full of mental patients. After this Congress ends, Mitt Romney won’t even be in politics anymore. He’s probably the smartest one in the room now.

One man still on the scene, although not in a lawmaking sense, is Trey Gowdy. Gowdy was a 4-term House Representative from South Carolina. He was so extreme before the Trump administration that he was the chair of the ridiculous House Committee that conducted the Benghazi investigation, ultimately yielding nothing but sound bites and time they knew they were wasting, just to punish Hillary Clinton.

Now he’s a regular on Fox, and he doesn’t sound quite as crazy, since the coyotes sleep in the chicken coop now.

As a guest on America’s Newsroom today, Gowdy was speaking with the hosts about “lawfare” — the term Donald Trump has been using to describe what’s happened to him regarding investigations and criminal charges. Trump has long believed that President Biden was somehow behind all the charges against him.

Without weighing in too much on that particular aspect, when asked about lawfare, Gowdy warned Republicans not to do what they’ve been accusing the Democrats of doing. He spoke against the idea of using the Justice Department to exact vengeance on political enemies.

JUST IN: Former Republican Congressman and Fox News contributor Trey Gowdy (@TGowdySC) attacks Gaetz and warns Trump, “Do not use the justice system as a weapon. And the message for Republicans is, don’t do it on the other side, either, with this absurd A.G. pick that you just… pic.twitter.com/A6seDikl3e

— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) November 19, 2024

Do not use the justice system as a weapon. And the message for Republicans is, don’t do it on the other side, either, with this absurd A.G. pick that you just made. Justice is different. It is a combination of policy, law, and also morality. You do not use our justice system as a political weapon. Voters rejected it in November, and they will reject it if Republicans try to do it also. Some things rise above the din. The justice system is one of those things.

I can hardly believe that I think Trey Gowdy sounds like a sane person. But he’s right. The pick is absolutely absurd.

To put Matt Gaetz into a position like that makes it obvious that Trump is not serious about having a good or effective person in charge of the Justice Department. He only wants a candidate who will do his bidding at every turn.

It’s not just that Gaetz is unqualified, it’s that he DISqualified. Check out what Senator-elect Adam Schiff had to say about Gaetz just the other day on State of the Union:

Matt Gaetz isn’t just unqualified for Attorney General – his actions disqualify him.

But the point of nominees like him is their affirmative disqualification.

Trump is daring the Senate to do its constitutional duty and reject them.

And we must do so. pic.twitter.com/idLgovnK95

— Adam Schiff (@AdamSchiff) November 17, 2024

Are we really going to have an Attorney General who, there’s credible allegations he was involved in child sex trafficking, potential illicit drug use, obstruction of an investigation, who has not experience serving in the Justice Department, only being investigated by it?

…

They didn’t vote for this kind of retribution destruction tour that the president seems now engaged in.

Unfortunately, Trump doesn’t care why people voted for him. They did, and that’s all that matters. Now he’s on a spree, and we’re going to need more voices like still-very-conservative but ultimately not absolutely insane Trey Gowdy telling Republicans to reel it in.