The phrase “the worse, the better” is often attributed to Vladimir Lenin and reflects a kind of messianic nihilism – the dream that escalating poverty would hasten the downfall of a corrupt order. Usually I find this philosophy contemptible; in my experience, suffering only breeds more suffering. I’m making an exception, however, for Donald Trump’s nomination of former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz for attorney general, a blatant provocation that is, like a pulpy B-movie, so bad it’s good.

Even though Trump’s choice of Gaetz to lead the Justice Department is a clear sign that his second administration will be catastrophically chaotic, vengeful and corrupt, this should never have been in doubt. Trump made no secret during his campaign of his desire to persecute his political enemies. Whoever he chooses as attorney general would share his interest in making the justice system the enforcement arm of the MAGA movement. The selection of Gaetz simply tears off the mask. With this, Trump trolls not only his defeated opponents, but also many of his cowardly establishment supporters. It’s as if Caligula was trying to make a consul out of his horse.

Of all the people Trump considered for AG, Gaetz is unique, primarily in the fact that he is hated by other Republicans, not just moderates. In the final months of the last Trump administration, the Justice Department opened an investigation into whether Gaetz had a relationship with a minor that violated federal sex trafficking laws. Although this investigation was closed without charges, the Chamber opened an ethics investigation against him. There was reportedly a vote Friday on whether to release a damning report, which Gaetz may have tried to preempt by resigning, although it could still be made public.

When Gaetz was accused of sleeping with the girl, “there’s a reason why no one at the conference came to defend him,” Markwayne Mullin, a very conservative Republican senator from Oklahoma. His colleagues, Mullins said, had seen videos “of the girls he slept with” that Gaetz allegedly showed on the House floor. After Gaetz forced Kevin McCarthy out of his post as Speaker of the House, wreaking havoc on his party, Mike Rogers, a Republican congressman from Alabama, appeared ready to physically attack him and had to be restrained by his colleagues.

It goes without saying that Gaetz is not, by normal standards, even a little bit qualified to be attorney general. He only practiced law for about two years before running for office, handling small civil matters, like suing an old woman for money she owed to his healthcare company. father.

His main merit is not his mastery of the law but his contempt for it. “We are proud of the work we did on January 6 to make legitimate arguments about election integrity,” he told Steve Bannon in 2022. He called for the abolition of the FBI and the Department of Justice unless they “fall into line”. If confirmed, he will single-mindedly strive to carry out Trump’s will without worrying about legal technicalities.

Gaetz is not the only Trump nominee who appears to have been chosen precisely for his hostility to the values ​​of the organization he is supposed to lead. On Thursday, Trump announced plans to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s leading anti-vaccine leader, as secretary of Health and Human Services. Pete Hegseth, the Fox News weekend host whom Trump wants to put in charge of the Pentagon – an institution supposed to be scrupulously apolitical – has written a book describing “social justice saboteurs” as more dangerous to America than any external enemy. During his first administration, when Trump sought to turn the military against left-wing protesters, his defense officials thwarted him. Hegseth, who accused “progressive stormtroopers” of turning our cities into “little Samaras,” a reference to an Iraqi city besieged by the Islamic State group, would certainly have fewer qualms.

“It’s the enemy within,” Trump said of his opponents at a rally last month. “All the scum we have to deal with hates our country. It’s a bigger enemy than China and Russia.” Some of his supporters were delighted by this language, but others were convinced he didn’t really mean it. By tapping Gaetz to become the nation’s top law enforcement official, Trump did us the favor of removing any remaining plausible deniability about his intentions. It is a show of dominance directed more at Republicans than Democrats, designed to get them to demean themselves by acquiescing to a nomination they know is indefensible.

Some social conservatives are dismayed: Christian legal group Liberty Counsel issued a press release calling Gaetz’s choice “shocking and disappointing,” and Ben Domenech, co-founder of the right-wing site The Federalist, called it a “absolutely despicable”. ”, among other insults that I cannot repeat here. If Gaetz makes it to the confirmation hearings, the proceedings will be a popcorn-style carnival of scandal and mudslinging. Having won the presidency and both houses of Congress, Trump could have launched his new administration in an atmosphere of confident Republican unity. Instead, it will begin with the crisis, degradation, and melodrama that constitute its natural habitat.

Ultimately, I would expect almost all Republican senators to line up and humble themselves by voting for Gaetz. “I have complete confidence in President Trump’s decision on this,” Mullin said on CNN on Wednesday, while adding that Gaetz would have to sell himself to the Senate. Even if a small number of senators find the courage to reject such an absurd nominee, Trump could try to circumvent them by using a never-before-used constitutional provision to force the Senate to suspend its work so he can make appointments without their consent.

What if that doesn’t work, whoever Trump chooses instead of Gaetz will almost certainly be just as destructive, though less flamboyant in his immorality and desire for attention. After all, Trump chose Gaetz because he is a great representative of the MAGA movement.

Once Trump wins, decent results for the country would probably no longer be a possibility. Institutions are unlikely to hold up. We cannot count on establishment Republicans to protect us. The best we can hope for is that our new leaders are hobbled by incompetence, infighting, and self-sabotage. In this regard, Gaetz may be the man for the job.

This article was originally published in The New York Times.