Trump’s choice for attorney general shocks Washington

Donald Trump’s nomination of Congressman Matt Gaetz to be his Attorney General arrived like a thunderbolt in Washington DC on Wednesday afternoon.

Of all the president-elect’s choices for his administration so far, this is easily the most controversial — and sends a clear message that Trump intends to shake up the establishment when he returns to power.

The firebrand Florida politician is perhaps best known for spearheading the effort to oust then-Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy last year. But he has a consistent history of being a flamethrower in the permanent chambers of Congress.

In 2018, he brought a right-wing Holocaust denier to the State of the Union and later tried to expel two fathers who lost children in a mass shooting from a hearing after they objected to a claim he made about gun control.

His bombastic approach means he has no shortage of enemies, including within his own party. And so Trump’s selection of Gaetz for this crucial role is also a signal to those Republicans — his second administration will be staffed by loyalists he trusts to pass his agenda, conventional political opinion be damned.

The gasp was heard during a meeting of Republican lawmakers when the nomination for America’s top U.S. attorney was announced, Axios reported, citing sources in the room.

Republican Congressman Mike Simpson of Idaho reportedly responded with an exclamation.

“I don’t think this is a serious nomination for attorney general,” said Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski. “This one wasn’t on my bingo card.”

Gaetz has some allies on Capitol Hill who share an unwavering loyalty to Trump. The Florida lawmaker has been one of the president-elect’s most aggressive and relentless defenders — at congressional hearings, at press conferences and during television appearances.

On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, another staunch Trump loyalist, called Gaetz an “accomplished lawyer.”

“He’s a reformer in his mind and heart, and I think he’ll bring a lot to the table about that,” Johnson said.

In a social media post, Trump described how he intends to use Gaetz as a wrecking ball to radically change the US Justice Department, which he has regularly blamed for his many legal troubles.

“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,” he wrote.

During the campaign, Trump promised retaliation for the numerous investigations launched against him. Now it looks like Gaetz will be on the front lines of Trump’s efforts to bring the Justice Department to heel.

The department also investigated Gaetz himself.

Last year, it declined to press charges over allegations he violated sex-trafficking laws during a trip he took to the Bahamas with a paid escort. He was the subject of an ongoing House ethics investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, illegal drug use and misuse of campaign funds.

But on Wednesday night, Johnson said Gaetz had resigned as a lawmaker, effectively ending the House investigation, since the committee only investigates members.

Gaetz has denied all the charges against him.

According to CBS News, Gaetz had asked Trump for a preemptive pardon for any related crimes before the president left office in January 2021.

All this makes him an unlikely choice for a position that typically goes to more senior politicians, well-versed in law.

Gaetz, 42, has a law degree and worked for a law firm in Florida before his eight years in Congress. Joe Biden’s attorney general, Merrick Garland, was a senior judge on the federal appeals court. In his first term, Trump chose US Senator Jeff Sessions and later Bill Barr, who had decades of experience in Republican presidential administrations.

The Senate will be responsible for confirming Gaetz’s nomination, and the Florida congressman has ruffled more than a few feathers in that chamber — including among Republicans. While his party has a majority, it would only take four “no” votes, along with a unified Democratic opposition, to sink his chances.

Gaetz himself said last year that he would love to be attorney general, while acknowledging that it was unlikely.

“The world is probably not ready,” he told Newsmax in an interview. “Senate confirmation certainly wouldn’t be, but you know, a boy can dream.”

For now, however, Trump’s closest supporters are celebrating his election.

“The hammer of justice is coming,” Elon Musk wrote of Gaetz on X.

Regardless of the final outcome of Gaetz’s bid to become attorney general, Trump has fired a warning shot across the bow of the US government. While his second term may be more organized than his first, it could end up being even more confrontational.