Gaetz is out. Democracy is safe from Trump for another day.

That sound you hear is an entire swath of Republicans (and Democrats) sighing with relief.
President-elect Donald Trump’s most controversial Cabinet choice, attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz, withdrew his nomination on Thursday.
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It’s clear after his sweeping electoral victory that Trump intends on cleaning house in Washington. It’s a necessary and admirable goal, but several of Trump’s Cabinet choices announced in the past week seem unqualified and even scandalous.
Gaetz, who was under a House Ethics Committee investigation on allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use, was the prime example of a poor nomination.
It’s obvious, even for those of us who voted for him, that Trump needs guardrails, both for his sake and the nation’s.
Senate Republicans just provided those guardrails by standing up to Trump’s nomination of Gaetz, which is an encouraging sign that our constitutional system of checks and balances still works.
Our democratic republic is safe for another day. Gaetz’s withdrawal is a win for America − and even for Trump, who has just been saved from the consequences of a bad early decision.
Gaetz has been under even more scrutiny than usual since Trump’s announcement last week that he wanted the now former Florida congressman to lead the Department of Justice.
Gaetz, reelected this month, resigned from the House after his nomination was announced. His resignation led the House Ethics Committee to set aside its pending report on allegations that the congressman had sex with underage girls.
But Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee played hardball. Texas Sen. John Cornyn told The Wall Street Journal that the committee would call witnesses to testify about the sexual misconduct allegations against Gaetz. The allegations and all of the ugly details would be on the record for the world to see.
Republican Sens. Joni Ernst from Iowa and Lisa Murkowski from Alaska echoed Cornyn’s concerns, signaling their willingness to stand up to Trump.
The Senate confirmation hearing promised to be a nightmare for both Gaetz and Trump. It also would have likely ended in a bipartisan vote against confirmation.
It’s clear that the nearly 77 million Americans who voted for Trump want change. Many want more conservative policies, and many want fresh voices who will disrupt the status quo in Washington.
But Trump’s reputation for chaos has been well earned. He has not assuaged fears about how he will govern the second time around by picking friends and loyalists to serve in positions of power.
Trump may well deliver on his promises of building an economy that better serves working-class Americans, of securing the border and of returning stability to a world that teeters on global warfare.
But he needs boundaries and enough independent voices in the Republican-controlled Congress to keep his worst impulses in check.
In the latest episode of Washington’s real-life “House of Cards,” we got to see the key players make their moves. Thankfully, Senate Republicans just showed us that not even the main character gets the final word.
Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.