5 takeaways from Trump’s choice of Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general

WASHINGTON − President-elect Donald Trump's unexpected choice of Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general signaled a like-minded approach to overhauling the Justice Department.

But the choice also sparked some of the first criticism of Trump's Cabinet selections, as senators questioned whether the Florida Republican would be a serious choice to become the country's top law enforcement official.

Like Trump, Gaetz has been through the legal system under the limelight of a criminal investigation.

Here are five takeaways from the surprising announcement:

More:Donald Trump chooses firebrand Rep. Matt Gaetz to run Justice Department as attorney general

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Trump chose Gaetz to end 'weaponization' of Justice Department

Trump and Gaetz both became fierce critics of the Justice Department after being investigated.

Gaetz, who resigned from Congress after Trump announced his nomination as attorney general, was the subject of a federal sex-trafficking probe that ended without charges against the him, although a once-close political ally pleaded guilty.

The House Ethics Committee is investigating Gaetz and said in June it was expanding the probe to include additional allegations. The committee was to decide on Friday whether to release its report, but his resignation will effectively end the investigation.

The committee has been looking into a variety of claims that Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illegal drug use, accepted “improper gifts” and gave out special favors. Gaetz denied the allegations and blamed the inquiry on former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

“The lawful, consensual sexual activities of adults are not the business of Congress,” Gaetz wrote in a letter posted to social media in September.

McCarthy has said his historic 2023 ouster came because Gaetz was trying to block a House ethics investigation.

Meanwhile, special counsel Jack Smith is in the process of winding down two indictments against Trump. Trump had been charged with election interference and mishandling classified documents, but longstanding Justice Department policy bars prosecuting sitting presidents. Trump won't face trial in either case.

“Matt is a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney, trained at the William & Mary College of Law, who has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System.”

Trump said Gaetz played a key role in "defeating" the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. "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," Trump said.

Some Republican senators who would be key to Gaetz winning confirmation questioned if he was a serious choice for the post.

“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general," said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. “This one was not on my bingo card."

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she was "shocked" to learn of Trump's choice of Gaetz.

"I’m sure that there will be a lot of questions raised at his hearing," Collins said.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who currently heads the Judiciary Committee, said the selection of Gaetz made clear that Trump "plans to use the Justice Department to seek revenge on his political enemies."

"Rep. Matt Gaetz would be a disaster as the next Attorney General of the United States," Durbin said.

But Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., whom Trump picked to become secretary of state, said he expected Gaetz would win confirmation.

“I think he will because presidents deserve great deference,” Rubio said.

'Disaster': bipartisan criticism

The reaction outside the government to the announcement was swift, bipartisan and harsh.

Edward Whelan, a deputy assistant attorney general during the George W. Bush administration, panned the choice.

“I cannot imagine a worse pick for Attorney General than Matt Gaetz,” Whelan wrote on social media.

Because Gaetz avoided federal charges, Harry Litman, a top Justice Department official during the Clinton administration, said he likely shares Trump’s antipathy for the department.

 

“On a scale of 1 to 10,” Litman wrote on social media, “I’d call it a disaster.”

Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said the attorney general must have strong judgment, moral character and deep respect for the law, but “Gaetz has none of those things.”

“Our next Attorney General will be tasked with the safekeeping of the rule of law and our democracy, and Matt Gaetz is not fit for that job," Himes said.

Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former White House and Pentagon spokesperson in the first Trump administration, said Trump was taunting his critics.

“He’s just trolling America at this point,” Farah said in a social media post.

John Bolton, who served as Trump's national security adviser, told NBC's "Meet the Press NOW" that "it must be the worst nomination for a Cabinet position in American history."

"Gaetz is not only totally incompetent for this job, he doesn't have the character," Bolton said.

Gaetz hasn't been a prosecutor

Attorneys general have traditionally had experience as federal prosecutors, and Gaetz's lack of experience in that area could become a point of contention when the Senate holds its confirmation hearing.

Gaetz got his law degree from William & Mary Law School and worked in private practice before becoming a state and federal lawmaker. But top Justice Department and White House lawyers had threatened to quit over Trump's proposal at the end of his first time term to name an assistant attorney general without prosecutorial experience, Jeffrey Clark, as acting attorney general near the end of his first term.

“You’re an environmental lawyer,” Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue told Clark during an Oval Office showdown Jan. 3, 2021. “How about you go back to your office, and we'll call you when there's an oil spill."

Gaetz has been a vocal critic of DOJ and defender of Trump

The Florida Republican has been a vocal critic of the department from his seat on the Judiciary Committee and a staunch defender of Trump.

Gaetz accused Attorney General Merrick Garland of weaponizing the department and called President Joe Biden "senile" in a hearing over his handling of classified documents.

Gaetz demonstrated his willingness to fight the Washington establishment by opposing McCarthy for speaker and nearly scuffling with other lawmakers on the House floor during the dispute. McCarthy supported a Republican rival against Gaetz in the Florida primary this year, but Gaetz won.

Contributing: Sudiksha Kochi