President-elect Trump announced Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) will serve as his attorney general, tapping a loyal congressional ally who himself was the subject of a Justice Department investigation.
“It is my Great Honor to announce that Congressman Matt Gaetz, of Florida, is hereby nominated to be The Attorney General of the United States. Matt is a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney, trained at the William & Mary College of Law, who has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice,” Trump wrote on his social media site.
“Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System. Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department.”
Trump went on to highlight Gaetz playing “a key role in defeating the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax.” The Florida congressman is the latest in a string of nominations of those who aligned with Trump amid his first impeachment investigation.
The announcement comes as Trump has called for retribution against numerous adversaries, calling for the arrest of figures like special counsel Jack Smith and suggesting others should be prosecuted.
Critics worry the Justice Department could be a prime vehicle to make good on those threats.
Gaetz has been one of Trump’s most vocal defenders in Congress, making him a standout even among a loyal GOP House.
Still, his name was not among those floated for the position, and a source in the room where House Republicans were waiting to start leadership elections said there were audible gasps when Gaetz was announced as Trump’s pick for attorney general.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), another member of the Judiciary Committee, said just because Gaetz is nominated doesn’t mean he’ll get the votes to be confirmed, predicting that not a single Democrat will vote for him.
“It’ll just be interesting to see what his organic base is,” Tillis said of the nominee. “At the end of the day, Congressman Gaetz, he’ll have a hearing, but I’m all about counting votes and I would think that he’s probably got some work cut out for him to get a good strong vote.
“We’re not going to get a single Democrat vote,” he said.
And in the House, fellow Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat, described Gaetz as a “consequence” of electing Trump.
“Donald Trump is very intentional with this pick. You know anyone thinking Donald Trump is ready to move forward giving Matt Gaetz the Attorney General being DOJ, he’s giving someone who’s fiercely loyal, fiercely competent, and so look, Donald Trump told the American people what he wanted to do that was on the ballot. Elections have consequences,” he told News Nation, which, like The Hill, is owned by Nexstar Media Group.
In Judiciary Committee hearings, Gaetz has railed against prosecutions of Trump and accused the Justice Department and the FBI of unfairly targeting the president and other conservatives.
Trump during his first term in office pressured leadership to conduct investigations against perceived enemies and railed against prosecutions of his allies as numerous of his associates were indicted.
Trump has made clear he is seeking an attorney general who would offer less resistance than his first two.
He was furious with former Attorney General Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia investigation and appointing special counsel Robert Mueller to review the matter.
And since leaving office he’s been highly critical of his former attorney general, Bill Barr.
He was also prepared to dismiss his top leadership team ahead of Jan. 6, installing instead someone who would investigate his baseless claims of election fraud.
Emily Brooks contributed.
Updated at 4:34 p.m.
