(NewsUSD) – Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, a Republican, has been named attorney general of President-elect Donald Trump.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, Trump stated that “ending the partisan Armed conflict of our Justice System” is “one of the most important issues in America.”
“Matt will dismantle criminal organizations, protect our borders, end weaponized government, and restore the Justice Department’s badly damaged standing among Americans.”
According to two individuals familiar with his intentions, Gaetz, a Republican lawmaker from Florida and a Trump supporter, had been at Mar-a-Lago for a number of days in the preceding week. On Wednesday, he accompanied Trump to Washington on his private jet. Following the announcement, he stated in an X post that it would “be an honor to serve” in the position.
Once Gaetz is officially nominated by Trump, the Senate must approve the choice, which may lead to a contentious confirmation process. If confirmed, Gaetz would lead the country’s highest law enforcement organization, which conducted a protracted investigation into the congressman’s sexual offenses. Last year, the Justice Department finally made the decision not to prosecute him with a crime.
In contrast to other previous attorneys general who have held positions as top prosecutors, judges, or nationally renowned defense attorneys, Gaetz has very little experience as a practicing attorney. Rather, he has spent a large portion of his professional career as a politician after graduating from the College of William & Mary Law School.
In addition to helping to implement the president-elect’s policies on immigration, reproductive health, and the political vengeance he pledged during the campaign, the attorney general position will be essential to Trump’s second term strategy.
According to CNN, Trump has stated that he intends to dismantle the judicial system in an attempt to undermine established safeguards against political meddling and legal constraints.
Gaetz has long advocated for the DOJ and FBI to be abolished unless there are major changes, and he has accused President Joe Biden of using the Justice Department as a weapon against conservatives, including Trump.
Gaetz, a member of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, has called for restrictions on the FBI’s powers, accusing it of going “far beyond” what the law permits in terms of monitoring.
At the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference, Gaetz stated, “We either get this government back on our side, or we defund and get rid of, abolish the FBI, the CDC, ATF, DOJ, every single one of them if they do not come to heel.”
In addition, Gaetz has attacked the Justice Department’s rank-and-file staff, arguing that outsiders, such as those from state attorneys general offices, ought to be brought in.
He said in a July interview last year that “you can’t just have the same career people who have grown up in a system that has fallen victim to political capture.”
Gaetz, a vocal opponent of the department, has criticized the prosecutions of the January 6 rioters and Trump. He applauded the DOJ’s decision to drop a criminal prosecution against Trump last year, which claimed he obstructed justice and mishandled secret data. Additionally, he stated that the attack on the US Capitol “wasn’t an insurrection” on its first anniversary.
Gaetz leaves his position in the House
As he gets ready for the attorney general confirmation process, Gaetz resigned from Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson stated Wednesday evening. According to Johnson, he took this action in the hopes that Republicans would be able to fill his position before the next Congress, which is scheduled to begin on January 3, is projected to have a very thin majority.
Gaetz has been contacted by CNN regarding his resignation.
Prior to Gaetz’s retirement, House Ethics Chair Michael Guest had stated that the ethics panel’s current investigation into the congressman’s sexual misbehavior would come to a stop if he left since it only has authority over members while they are in Congress.
Gaetz has always denied any misconduct, including paying for sex or ever engaging in sexual activity with a child.
According to those briefed on the subject, the Justice Department refused to give the House Ethics Committee the documents the panel subpoenaed because they contained private information about young women who were witnesses, claiming that files in its sex trafficking investigation against Gaetz were too sensitive to release even to congressional investigators.
Gaetz would be in charge of those investigative files that describe the evidence the FBI found in his capacity as attorney general.
According to a source with knowledge of the situation, the Justice Department’s decision to launch an investigation into a serving congressman wasn’t particularly tough. The criminal inquiry started during the Trump administration. However, two years later, President Joe Biden’s Justice Department decided not to prosecute the lawmaker with a crime.
