Donald Trump tapped Matt Gaetz to be his second term’s attorney general on Wednesday, posting to Truth Social that the Florida congressman will “end weaponized government, protect our borders, dismantle criminal organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered faith and confidence in the Justice Department.”
In response, Gaetz posted to X: “It will be an honor to serve.”
It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General! pic.twitter.com/dg0iQ0bA6Y
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) November 13, 2024
The cabinet pick came after the Trump campaign’s repeated critique of the Biden administration’s Department of Justice.
If Gaetz is confirmed by the Senate, he will succeed Attorney General Merrick Garland, who led a sex-trafficking investigation into the congressman himself.
In 2021, the Justice Department investigated accusations that Gaetz had sexual relations with a minor and even paid for the 17-year-old to travel with him. The investigation also revealed that the Florida representative paid for sex with other women. By February 2023, the investigation had been dropped.
The Florida congressman is still the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation over alleged sexual misconduct and illegal drug use.
Trump added in his statement that Gaetz will “root out the systemic corruption at DOJ” and called for “honesty, integrity and transparency” under the leadership of the nominated congressman.
“Under Matt’s leadership, all Americans will be proud of the Department of Justice once again,” the President-elect wrote in a second statement to Truth Social.
The far-right congressman has remained a MAGA loyalist since 2016, but in October 2023, Gaetz filed the initial motion to oust then-House Speaker and fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy.
Trump also nominated former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as director of National Intelligence. The former Democrat, who ran against President Biden in the 2020 primaries, left the party in 2022 and endorsed Trump in August of this year.
The Hawaii representative has since shared content suggesting that the U.S. was involved in Ukraine developing biological weapons – pushing a Russian narrative.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson told press later on Wednesday that Gaetz has already resigned from Congress.
