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“We still go through a process, and that process includes advice and consent, which, for the Senate, means advice or consent sometimes.”

The president-elect already has done so with some grotesque Cabinet choices, preceded by his anticonstitutional demand that senators forfeit their “advice and consent” power and instead be rubber stamps.

“Make no mistake: This information could be relevant to the question of Mr Gaetz’s confirmation as the next attorney general of the United States, and our constitutional responsibility of advice and consent,” Durbin said.

There, at least, members of Trump’s own party are publicly insisting that they would like to do their job: to provide advice and consent regarding the president-elect’s cabinet picks.

The newly elected leader of the incoming majority, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., likewise affirmed his commitment to the Senate’s traditional role of providing “advice and consent” to the executive branch.