Well, truth is, I'm probably some political super genius.
But, going back to my original comments on Gaetz, I did say I'd bet he withdraws his nomination before he ever gets to confirmation for a reason.
It never felt like Gaetz was the actual nominee. It seemed as though something else was at play. Given how quickly he resigned from the House, my guess is his exit was part of the plan from the beginning.
They knew he wasn't viable, but he'd make liberal heads explode...and that always makes for a good show. At the same time, he gets freed of an ethics investigation that may not have been trending well for him and was shaping up to be an unnecessary distraction for the new administration and Congress. Take away the ammo.