Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is seen outside the Capitol on Thursday, July 25, 2024, after casting his last vote before the August recess.
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call Inc. | Getty Images
President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will nominate Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida to be U.S. attorney general.
Trump wrote in Truth Social that Gaetz “has distinguished himself in Congress by focusing on achieving much-needed reforms at the Department of Justice.”
Gates responded on X: “It would be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!”
The selection is the clearest example yet of how President Trump, who has sworn many former staffers as “RINOs,” or enemies of himself and his MAGA policies, has made loyalty a key qualification for his second administration. .
If confirmed by the Senate, Gaetz will replace Attorney General Merrick Garland, who led the Justice Department’s sex trafficking investigation into the lawmaker.
The Justice Department ultimately declined to prosecute Gaetz.
Gates remains the subject of an investigation by the House Ethics Committee into whether he engaged in sexual misconduct or illegal drug use.
Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing, but in September he said he would no longer voluntarily participate in the committee’s investigations.
The 42-year-old congressman, who has established a reputation as a staunch and vocal Trump supporter, has been an active critic of the investigation and prosecution of Trump by Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith.
Gaetz originally filed a motion in October 2023 to remove then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a fellow Republican. Eight Republicans, led by Gaetz, would eventually work with all House Democrats to remove Speaker McCarthy, throwing the Republican conference into turmoil.
Gaetz was accompanying Trump, billionaire Elon Musk and others on Wednesday during his first trip to Washington, D.C. since defeating Vice President Kamala Harris, NBC News reported.
Trump’s choice of Gaetz came as a big surprise to his Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose expected majority had already shrunk after President Trump nominated Republican Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York and Mike Walz of Florida to serve in the incoming administration. “We don’t expect any more members to leave,” he said Tuesday. ”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told Punchbowl News she was “shocked” by the selection.
“This is why the Senate advice and consent process is so important. I’m sure the Gaetz hearings will raise a tremendous number of questions,” she told news outlets.
When asked by a HuffPost reporter for his reaction to the Gates news, Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) replied, “You — me?”
