Opinion: Gaetz for AG? Trump's Cabinet nominees are starting to rightly worry the GOP.

Donald Trump’s nominations for his first time in the White House weren’t exactly quality picks, but this time around, they are in a horrible league of their own.

Trump has nominated Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general; Tulsi Gabbard, a former Hawaii congresswoman, for director of national intelligence; and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem for Homeland Security secretary.

I can't possibly think of a worse nominee for attorney general than Gaetz. He isn't qualified for that position, but neither are many of Trump's other nominees. The only quality that seems to matter is their loyalty to Trump. It falls to other Republicans to hold the line.

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Call me naive, but I am skeptical that Trump can get 50 Senate Republicans to confirm the most outrageous of these nominations, particularly Gaetz and Gabbard.

Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, two historically moderate U.S. senators, have already spoken against Gaetz's nomination.

"I don't think this is a serious nomination for attorney general," Murkowski said when asked about the Gaetz nomination. "We need to have a serious attorney general."

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Collins said she was "shocked" by the nomination of Gaetz. "That shows why the advise-and-consent process is so important," she said, adding: “I’m sure that there will be a lot of questions raised at his hearing.”

The GOP won a 53-47 majority in the Senate but can only afford four defectors, and with Collins and Murkowski already in opposition to certain selections, Trump's margin for error is tight in his choices.

Maybe warning signs about Trump and new administration were correct

Still, the fact that he is attempting to force through underqualified nominees who have undying loyalty to him is precisely on brand with the warnings about a second Trump administration.

Trump is doing exactly what his detractors warned of before his election, which does not bode well for America.

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Trump has also suggested a scheme in which he abuses recess appointments, which are used to fill vacancies when the Senate is not in session, to fill his Cabinet while subverting the traditional Senate confirmation process. Recess appointments would allow these appointees to remain until the end of this Congress, which is in two years.

Even conservative constitutional scholars are skeptical of this proposal's merit, and it would require complacency from Senate Republicans to happen.

Senate Republicans have a tall order to protect the checks and balances of our system now that Trump is actively trying to subvert them. I hope that they stand their ground, at the very least the four who are necessary to block the move, along with these ridiculous nominees.

Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Opinion: Trump nominates Gaetz for AG. He's a terrible choice