lawmakers

But however it pans out, lawmakers — elected Republicans — finding the courage to say that science is real, the age of consent matters and that you really should wash your hands after using the bathroom?

In years past, lawmakers have jealously guarded their constitutional powers.

Lawmakers in both parties have already said they want to know more about the House Ethics probe into Gaetz, which was closed when he resigned his seat.

But a former Reid adviser, James Manley, said he believes Trump is consciously trying to erode that boundary, and he’s skeptical that Republican lawmakers have the stomach to stand up to him.

The pick, unveiled Tuesday, drew immediate pushback from some influential veterans groups and current and former lawmakers, who suggested that Hegseth’s ideological leanings, rather than any demonstrated expertise, lay behind him being tapped to run the vast U.S. defense complex.