The News
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as his administration’s attorney general.
In a statement posted to social media, Trump described Gaetz as a “deeply gifted and tenacious attorney.”
“Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System,” the statement read. ”Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department.”
While one of Trump’s most vocal allies in Congress, Gaetz is also among the most controversial Congressional Republicans, having triggered the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, plunging the country into a weeks-long political crisis. Gaetz was also recently investigated — although not charged — for alleged sex trafficking of a minor.
Vice President-elect JD Vance has previously said that Trump’s choice of attorney general would be among his most important cabinet picks, since they would be responsible for authorizing key aspects of his policy proposals, including prioritizing deportations of undocumented immigrants and prosecuting people Trump perceives as his enemies, experts told Reuters.