Trump Nominates Matt Gaetz as Attorney General
In a surprise move, President-elect Donald Trump announced today he is nominating Rep. Matt Gaetz (R–Fla.) to be U.S. Attorney General.
Gaetz, whose legal experience is limited to three years of work at a Florida law firm and being the subject of a Justice Department investigation, wasn’t among the names circulated as potential attorney general picks, and his political career as an often unserious and widely-disliked backbencher makes him a bizarre choice to lead the chief federal law enforcement agency.
Rep. Mike Simpson (R–Idaho), summed up the general reaction among Capitol Hill, the media, and social media to the announcement:
Asked for his reaction to the Gaetz nom, Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho): “Are you shittin’ me?”
— Jonathan Nicholson (@JNicholsonInDC) November 13, 2024
However, in a social media statement, Trump praised Gaetz as “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.”
If confirmed, Gaetz would lead the same agency that investigated him for sex trafficking and obstruction of justice starting in 2019. The Justice Department announced in 2023 that it was declining to prosecute Gaetz, who maintained his innocence. There is still an ongoing congressional ethics probe into Gaetz over the same allegations.
As attorne
Article from Reason.com
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