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WASHINGTON (CN) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he has chosen Florida Representative Matt Gaetz as his incoming administration’s attorney general.
“Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan weaponization of our justice system,” Trump said in a Truth Social post announcing his decision. “Matt will end weaponized government, protect our borders, dismantle criminal organizations and restore American’s badly-shattered faith and confidence in the Justice Department.”
The announcement suggests that Trump could direct the Justice Department to enact many of his stated policy goals, such as investigating political rivals like Joe Biden and dropping prosecutions against Capitol riot defendants.
“It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s attorney general,” Gaetz said in a post on X.
If confirmed — or appointed via Trump’s suggested recess appointment method — Gaetz would succeed current Attorney General Merrick Garland, who led the Justice Department as it investigated Gaetz on suspicion of sex trafficking.
The feds decided not to press charges, but Gaetz is currently the subject of an ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation regarding whether he engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, among other House rule violations.
Gaetz has represented Florida’s First Congressional District, which includes Pensacola and parts of the state’s western panhandle, since 2017. During his time in Congress, he served on the Judiciary Committee and the Armed Services Committee, as well as the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.
Before entering politics, Gaetz worked at Florida firm Anchors Gordon after graduating from William & Mary Law School.
In his announcement, Trump specifically cited Gaetz’s time on the subcommittee as a key part of his decision, saying that “few issues in America are more important” than ending the supposed weaponization.
Legal experts expressed shock at Gaetz’s nomination.
Mary McCord, former acting assistant attorney general for national security in 2016 and 2017 and executive director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law, said in an email that the decision was “stunning.”
“Matt Gaetz has almost no experience as a practicing attorney, but would be put in charge of nearly all civil and criminal litigation involving the federal government,” McCord said. “He has shown no respect for the rule of law.”
Robert Weissman, co-president of civil rights group Public Citizen, said in a public statement that Gaetz was a “uniquely awful” choice for the job.
“He is singularly unqualified to lead an agency that enforces civil rights laws and environmental protection statutes,” Weissman said. “Under Gaetz, we’d have every reason to expect an America where corporate criminals walk free but immigrants and people of color are harassed or rounded up with minimal pretext.”
McCord highlighted Gaetz’s frequent espousal of conspiracy theories, including that the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was not an insurrection, as well as his vote against a resolution giving police officers who defended the Capitol the Congressional Gold Medal.
“The announcement of his nomination suggests Trump’s intent to make good on threats of retribution against political opponents made during the campaign,” McCord said. “But he cannot do that alone and I expect many DOJ lawyers will push back on baseless investigations and prosecutions.”
Gaetz did not respond to a request for comment.
Since his sweeping electoral victory last Tuesday, Trump has quickly moved to fill out his cabinet with loyalists.
He selected Florida Senator Marco Rubio to lead the State Department on Wednesday, in addition to tapping former Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard as his director of National Intelligence.
On Tuesday, Trump tapped “Fox and Friends” host Pete Hegseth to serve as Secretary of Defense, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noel as his Secretary of Homeland Security and Elon Musk to run a newly created Department of Government Efficiency with Vivek Ramaswamy.
With Republicans taking control of the Senate last Tuesday, garnering a majority with 53 seats to the Democrats’ 47, many of Trump’s picks are likely to be confirmed with a simple majority.
The Senate GOP’s election of South Dakota Senator John Thune to succeed retiring Senator Mitch McConnell as majority leader makes that path easier.
Thune suggested on Xthat he was open to Trump’s demand for so-called recess appointments, which would bar Congress’ current process of entering “pro forma” sessions. The sessions are intended to prevent the president from bypassing confirmation votes.
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