Donald Trump has tapped long-time ally Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, prompting concern and disdain among lawmakers and social media users on both sides of the aisle.
Gaetz served as a representative from Florida until he resigned from the House on Wednesday following Trump’s announcement. The president-elect’s nomination of Gaetz comes after the 42-year-old and his associates were at the center of a sex trafficking investigation carried out by current Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Gaetz was ultimately never charged with a crime but remained the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation regarding, among other claims, allegations of sexual misconduct. However, the committee’s investigation is now over following Gaetz’s resignation, which Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said was effective immediately.
Some reports indicate Gaetz’s resignation came just two days before the House Ethics Committee was set to release a “highly damaging” report regarding their probe.
“He is a Champion for the Constitution and the Rule of Law,” Trump wrote in his announcement. “Matt will root out the systemic corruption at DOJ, and return the Department to its true mission of fighting Crime, and upholding our Democracy and Constitution.”
Billionaire Elon Musk, a Trump loyalist and co-chair of the president-elect’s new Department of Government Efficiency, appeared to celebrate the news on X: “The hammer of justice is coming.”
Senator Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat, told The Independent the announcement – released Wednesday afternoon – sounded like a headline in a satire publication. “That was in The Onion,” Welch said.
Some speculated that Gaetz was put in the post to wreak vengeance on Trump’s so-called “enemies.”
The Wall Street Journal editorial board wrote on Wednesday that Gaetz as AG would “undermine confidence in the law,” warning: “He’s a nominee for those who want the law used for political revenge, and it won’t end well.”
Ty Cobb, a former Trump White House lawyer, told Politico: “There’s no conceivable justification for nominating somebody this smarmy and this offensive for a position of such significance in this democracy other than to have a puppet and somebody who, as Gaetz has demonstrated, will do anything Trump asks.”
One Justice Department lawyer told the outlet: “He’s there for one purpose: to enact retribution. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have a grand vision about the future of the department. I can’t imagine how this isn’t going to scare people even more.”
Others remarked on the perception of tapping Gaetz to lead the very department that investigated him.
“Generally, nominating reputed sex traffickers for the highest law-enforcement job in the land is not a good idea,” Marc Short, once the chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, told Politico.
Montana State Representative Zooey Zephyr, a Democrat and LGBTQ-rights activist, also condemned the move.
“Matt Gaetz as Attorney General is also unconscionable, given he was under investigation for his role in an underage sex trafficking case,” she wrote on X.
Those in Gaetz’s party are also reeling from the decision.
Former GOP Representative Joe Walsh of Illinois told The Independent that “no one should be surprised” by Gaetz’s nomination.
“F*** ‘em,” Walsh said. “This is what America voted for.”
Republican Senator Thom Tillis also told reporters on Capitol Hill: “I’m sure it’ll make for a popcorn-eating confirmation.”
“I don’t think it is a serious nomination for the attorney general,” Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski told reporters. “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.”
But one Republican came to Gaetz’s defense.
“To every Republican, give Matt a chance,” Senator Lindsey Graham said on Hannity on Wednesday. “I’m telling my Democratic friends, elections have consequences whether you like it or not.”
Social media users on both sides of the aisle are also expressing their concerns.
“We are not a serious country if the Senate confirms Matt Gaetz to lead the Justice Department,” conservative activist and attorney Heath Mayo posted.
Author Ezra Klein offered his analysis of the situation, noting Trump’s cabinet appointments appear to be a “loyalty test.”
“Demanding Senate Republicans back Gaetz as attorney general and Hegseth as Defense Secretary is the 2024 version of forcing Sean Spicer to say it was the largest inauguration crowd ever,” Klein wrote. “These aren’t just appointments. They’re loyalty tests. The absurdity is the point.”
Others are using humor to cope with the shocking announcement.
“I cannot imagine why someone would vote to confirm Matt Gaetz for host at Red Lobster, never mind Attorney General of the United States,” Jonah Goldberg, editor of The Dispatch, wrote on X.
“Every Trump appointment is like ‘Donald Trump has appointed the Grinch as director of the Department of Christmas,’” another user posted.
Gaetz played a key role in outsing former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy last year, paving the way for current speaker Mike Johnson to take power.
He has previously said he ousted McCarthy because of concerns he violated the “fundamental commitments” he made to become Speaker. Meanwhile, McCarthy has accused Gaetz of doing so out of anger about the House ethics probe against him.
