 "President-elect Donald Trump has selected Matt Gaetz to serve as his attorney general, tapping the combative Florida Republican to the key post. File image/AP")
US President-elect Donald Trump knows how to shock people. And his selection for the US attorney general has not only stunned experts and the common American man but also members of his own party, the Republicans.
On the day that he met US President Joe Biden at the White House, Trump also announced that he chose Republican Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general. In a statement on Wednesday (November 13), the US president-elect said Gaetz “is a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney” and that the conservative lawmaker “will end weaponised government” as head of the Justice Department.
While Trump’s picks so far have received muted reactions, Trump’s choice of Gaetz has evoked strong responses from even his own party members, with one going as far as saying, “are you sh***ing me?”
We take a closer look at who exactly is Matt Gaetz and why Trump’s selection of him has baffled Republicans.
Trump picks Gaetz for AG
On Wednesday, Trump announced firebrand Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general. As attorney general, Gaetz would drive all aspects of the work of the Justice Department — a department, which he alleges, was weaponised under President Joe Biden.
The Justice Department is crucial to Trump, as it will help enforce his policy on immigration, reproductive health and the political retribution he vowed on the campaign trail.
In a statement on his Truth Social account earlier in the day, Trump called Gaetz a “deeply gifted and tenacious attorney” and said he “has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice”.
After he was put forward for attorney general, Gaetz tendered his resignation from the House of Representatives, “effective immediately,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters. Gaetz celebrated his nomination, calling it “an honour to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General”.
Gaetz — a controversial choice
Forty-two year-old Gaetz has been a long-time ally of Trump and has been a US congressman since 2017.
In 2018, he was severely criticised when he invited a Holocaust denier to Trump’s State of the Union address. A year later, he even hired a speechwriter who had been fired by the Trump White House after speaking at a conference that attracted white nationalists.
Gaetz also supported Trump during his New York criminal trial. He was among the many Republican politicians who sat in on the proceedings. He’s also been a defender of Trump on the television. At Trump’s June debate with President Joe Biden, Gaetz was at the forefront in the spin room, talking up Trump’s successes.
He was also among the many who helped Trump prepare for his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris .
Gaetz also led the charge in removing his fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy as House speaker last October. Gaetz and seven other House Republicans joined Democrats in voting to remove McCarthy, kicking off a weeks-long scramble to find a new speaker.
Like Trump, Gaetz also has legal troubles to his name. Until his resignation, the House Ethics Committee was investigating allegations that he was part of a scheme that led to the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl.
However, Gaetz’s resignation from the House ends any House ethics investigation against him. “We only have jurisdiction, meaning the Ethics Committee, as long as a person is a member of Congress,” said Representative Michael Guest, the chair of the House Ethics Committee, to reporters earlier in the day.
Republicans express shock
While Trump has selected Gaetz for Attorney General, his role will need approval from the Senate, which may not be smooth sailing.
Many Republicans believe that Gaetz will have trouble getting the numbers he wants. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said it will be “a significant challenge” for Gaetz to win enough votes to be confirmed.
“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general. That’s Lisa Murkowski’s view,” Murkowski said. “We need to have a serious attorney general. And I’m looking forward to the opportunity to consider somebody that is serious. This one was not on my bingo card.”
Republican Representative Mike Simpson of Idaho, said, “Are you sh***ing me?” when asked for his initial reaction to Gaetz’s selection.
Maine Senator Susan Collins has expressed concerns about Gaetz’s selection. Speaking to Punchbowl News reporter Max Cohen, she said, “I was shocked at the nomination. “I’m sure that there will be many, many questions raised at Gaetz’s hearing.”
Senator Kevin Cramer from North Dakota said Gaetz’s prospects of getting confirmed were “a long shot,” adding that it’s “very possible” Trump is testing the limits of how far he can push the Senate.
Republican congressman Max Miller of Ohio told Axios that “Gaetz has a better shot at having dinner with Queen Elizabeth II than being confirmed by the Senate”. He was also quoted as telling Politico that Gaetz is “a reckless pick” with “a zero per cent shot”.
John Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security adviser, even went as far as saying that Gaetz “must be the worst nomination for a Cabinet position in American history”.
“Gaetz is not only totally incompetent for this job, he doesn’t have the character. He is a person of moral turpitude,” Bolton said in an interview with NBC News.
Democrats flummoxed
Trump’s choice of Gaetz has even baffled the Democrats. Senator Chris Coons, who serves on the Judiciary Committee, was quoted as saying, “You can record me as speechless.”
“It seems like a highly surprising, even bizarre choice that is likely to be met with a lot of scepticism on both sides of the aisle,” Senator Richard Blumenthal said. “I think there will be some very deep-seated doubt about his ability to fairly and wisely manage the very powerful law enforcement and prosecutorial system of our nation.”
With inputs from agencies