Knives out: GOP infighting begins to replace Karoline Leavitt

**Brian Tyler Cohen** (0:01)
The battle to replace Karoline Leavitt heats up, and I got two interviews, Tommy Vietor from Pod Save America and the Democratic nominee for the US Senate in Minnesota, Peggy Flanagan. I'm Brian Tyler Cohen, and you're listening to No Lie.
With Karoline Leavitt set to leave her post as White House press secretary at the end of August, the battle to replace her is now heating up. So the odds-on favorite to be Trump's top sycophant was, of course, Scott Jennings, but now it looks like the knives are out because another Trump ally spoke out against that possible choice. Matt Gaetz took to Twitter writing, Scott Jennings for press secretary is a bad idea. And he included a screenshot from a CNN opinion piece written in 2001 by Scott Jennings titled, Trump caused this insurrection and every Republican must condemn it. Now, first of all, is Matt Gaetz merely looking out for Trump's best interest, or is Matt Gaetz looking out for Matt Gaetz? Like, I have been around politics long enough to know that virtually everybody is self-interested. Literally everybody in the MAGA coalition is self-interested. And Matt Gaetz especially, who's been relegated to hosting a show that nobody watches, on a network nobody watches, after his very unceremonious departure from Congress and the allegations of sex trafficking of a minor, is probably not how he wants his political career to end. So if anybody had a vested interest in lifting up himself, it is Matt Gaetz.
Although, I must say, if there's anybody who appropriately represents an administration currently engaged in the cover up of a pedophile ring, it is probably the guy who himself is contending with allegations of sex trafficking of a minor. So if Trump is looking for a good fit, I'd say that this one fits like a glove.
But in opposition to Gaetz's point, if someone at some point having had the spine to speak out against Trump was disqualifying, nobody would be working in this White House. Here is just a small smattering of what Trump's own current officials said back when they had an ounce of their dignity still intact.

**SPEAKER_2** (1:53)
We're on the verge of having someone take over the conservative movement and the Republican Party who's a con artist.

**SPEAKER_3** (1:59)
Donald, you're a sniveling coward and leave Heidi the hell alone.

**SPEAKER_4** (2:02)
I'm a never Trump guy, I never liked him.

**SPEAKER_3** (2:04)
All I can say is count me out, enough is enough. I've tried to be helpful.

**SPEAKER_4** (2:11)
We were really trying hard to figure out how do we hold a president accountable that put all of our lives at risk.

**SPEAKER_5** (2:17)
There's no question, none. Their president Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day.

**Brian Tyler Cohen** (2:30)
So the fact that somebody in Trump's orbit told the truth before they sold their soul to him isn't the exception, it is the rule. It shows the truth about this movement, which is that all of the people who are employed by Donald Trump know better, but it was politically and financially and personally more beneficial to them to sacrifice their dignity and morals and values in exchange for fealty to the God King. They all know better, they just don't care, because power or proximity to power is more important to them than standing for anything.
So Matt Gaetz can point to, you know, a previous iteration of Scott Jennings having once done the right thing as if it's disqualifying, but in fact there is nothing more appropriate for Donald Trump's White House than tapping somebody to speak for Trump, who once had some dignity and then sold it the moment they realized how much more lucrative it was to breathlessly defend him.
So look, between somebody like Matt Gaetz and Scott Jennings, Donald Trump will certainly have a tough time choosing. You've got an accused sex trafficker on one hand versus a shameless sycophant on the other. Truly all of Trump's favorite things, but whoever he chooses, I'm sure that person will be well prepared to lie on behalf of somebody who couldn't tell the truth if his life depended on it.
Next up are my interviews with Tommy Vietor and Peggy Flanagan.
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