Trump names controversial far-right loyalist Matt Gaetz as US Attorney General

President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would nominate controversial Florida congressman Matt Gaetz as the US Attorney General. Trump made the announcement on Wednesday, putting a far-right loyalist in one of the most powerful positions in the US government.

As Attorney General, Gaetz would automatically become the country’s chief law enforcement officer and oversee the legal positions that the government takes on key issues, including abortion, civil rights laws, and the First Amendment. The 42-year-old’s appointment sparked major fury among Trump’s opponents.

In the past, the President-elect has claimed that he would use the US Department of Justice to prosecute his political enemies. Many now believe that Gaetz will facilitate and intensify the process. The Republican firebrand was first elected to Congress in 2016 and has been representing a ruby-red district in Florida.

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A Trump loyalist with his own share of legal cases

It is pertinent to note that Gaetz is touted as one of Congress’s most showboating members. In the past, he has reportedly sought a pardon from Trump over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 US Presidential elections and has notoriously embraced conspiracy theories about the attack on the US Capitol.

Last year, he stirred a major storm in the US House of Representatives, after he ousted fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy from the speakership. Another interesting fact to point out is that Gaetz’s nomination came a little over a year after the Department of Justice decided not to charge him as part of a sex trafficking investigation that involved allegations he had sex with a 17-year-old girl.

However, his former friend Joel Greenberg pleaded guilty to the case and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Not only this, but Gaetz is also facing investigation from the House Ethics committee after it was alleged that he “engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favours to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct.”

The Republican lawmaker has denied all the wrongdoings. While making the controversial announcement, Trump lauded Gaetz. “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 said in a statement posted to his Truth Social media account.

“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,” he added.

The backlash that followed

Trump’s nomination soon met with widespread criticism. “This guy has been on the run from the law for quite some time now, so he’ll think he’s above it. He’ll be corrupt as hell,” said Olivia Troye, a former official in the Department of Homeland Security during the Trump administration who has become an outspoken critic of the business-mogul-turned-politician.

Robert Weissman, the co-president of the watchdog group Public Citizen said it was “hard to imagine a worse and more unqualified candidate” than Gaetz. “As a member of Congress, Gaetz has demonstrated contempt for the rule of law, truth and decency. He is singularly unqualified to lead an agency that enforces civil rights laws and environmental protection statutes. Under Gaetz, we’d have every reason to expect an America where corporate criminals walk free but immigrants and people of colour are harassed or rounded up with minimal pretext,” Weissman said in a statement.

In January the Republican Party will take charge of the US Senate, voting on Gaetz’s confirmation. What makes Gaetz’s nomination more controversial is the fact that the Florida congressman has a history of making derogatory and offensive remarks towards women.

“Why is it that the women with the least likelihood of getting pregnant are the ones most worried about having abortions? Nobody wants to impregnate you if you look like a thumb,” he said back in 2022. In the past, he also opposed a revenge porn law, insisting that ex-lovers could do what they pleased with images their partners had shared with them.

With inputs from agencies.