Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, said he expected “more common sense to come out of Washington” ahead of Trump’s inauguration.
With President-elect Donald Trump heading to the presidential election in January, Miyares said he looks forward to his administration rolling back “the overly burdensome regulations that have affected so many Americans over the past four years.” He said he is doing so.
“All the way up to OSHA’s vaccine mandate…all the way to a pretty radical interpretation of Title IX, which basically means now biological boys are allowed to play on girls’ sports teams.” Miyares told FOX News Digital. “So I think coming out of Washington, coming out of the administration, you’re going to see a lot more common sense.”
Miyares said he expects many new developments with the new Republican administration and “looks forward to seeing them.”
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Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, said he expected “more common sense to come out of Washington” ahead of Trump’s inauguration. (Getty)
Following his victory, Trump and his team have already begun announcing various Cabinet picks and policy expectations. That includes President Trump’s announcement that he will nominate Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz to be the next attorney general.
Mr. Miyares did not directly comment on Mr. Gaetz as a nominee for Justice Department secretary, but said he looked forward to working with the new Justice Department.
“We will cooperate with the attorney general,” Miyares said. “I know that’s why we’re asking the Senate for advice and consent.”
“But this is what I’m saying: The new government and who they put in high leadership positions are still fundamentally different from what we’ve been thinking about as part of a true left-wing ideology. “This appears to have been pushed down by the Biden administration,” Miyares continued.
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Mr. Miyares recently made headlines for challenging a lower court ruling that ordered the state to restore the names of about 1,600 potential noncitizens to the voter rolls ahead of the Nov. 5 election.
Miyares, along with Gov. Glenn Youngkin, stood firm after the Justice Department initially filed a lawsuit over voter exclusion, saying the state’s process is “individualized” and conducted in accordance with state and federal law. He claimed that he was aware of it.
Following his victory, Trump and his team have already begun announcing various Cabinet picks and policy expectations. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Miyares plans to run for re-election in 2025, but has not yet announced any formal plans to run again. Two Democrats have already announced plans to run for the post, including Virginia Representative Jay Jones and Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor. Both have expressed criticism of Gates’ nomination on social media.
“You better believe that if I become Virginia’s next attorney general, I will take on Matt Gaetz’s excesses in court. We will hold this administration accountable to Virginia families,” Jones said. I wrote to X.
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“Matt Gaetz, who is under investigation by law enforcement and the House Ethics Committee (a Republican-led committee in the Republican-majority House of Representatives) on sex trafficking charges, has been announced by President-elect Trump as the next U.S. Nominated for Attorney General,” Taylor wrote to X.
“I oppose this appointment to Attorney General @JasonMiyaresVA, the top law officer of the Commonwealth, and urge President-elect Trump to appoint an above reproach Attorney General, not someone who is under ethics investigation. I ask.”
President Trump first announced his intention to nominate Gaetz as director in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, saying Gaetz would “stand out in Congress by focusing on delivering much-needed reforms at the Department of Justice.” ”, he said.
President Trump first announced his intention to nominate Gaetz as director in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, saying Gaetz “will stand out in Congress by focusing on delivering much-needed reforms at the Department of Justice.” ”, he said. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Gates later confirmed the nomination on social media site X, adding, “It would be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!”
Shortly after the announcement, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that Gates had resigned from his position in Congress.
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Republicans have already expressed concerns about Gaetz’s possible appointment. He was previously under a year-long investigation by the Justice Department for allegedly having sex with a minor, but the department ultimately did not file charges.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and Kelly Phares contributed to this report.
