Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz in the Capitol in Tallahassee on March 4, 2024. (Photo by Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix)
In what is undoubtedly the most surprising and controversial Cabinet selection made this week, President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Panhandle-area Florida U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general in his new administration.
“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 written statement.
“Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System. Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department.”
Gaetz replied on X, “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!”
If he is confirmed by the Senate, Gaetz will succeed Attorney General Merrick Garland, who led the Department of Justice as it carried out a sex-trafficking investigation into the congressman.
That investigation ended with no charges filed in February 2023, but the Northwest Florida Republican continues to be investigated by the House Committee on Ethics regarding allegations he may have engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use.
In June the Committee released a statement acknowledging that while Gaetz has categorically denied all of the allegations before the committee, the panel “has spoken with more than a dozen witnesses, issued 25 subpoenas, and reviewed thousands of pages of documents in this matter. Based on its review to date, the Committee has determined that certain of the allegations merit continued review.”
Electoral success
The 42-year-old lawmaker irked many fellow Republicans in Washington when in October 2023 he filed the first motion to remove then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position. He was successful, plunging the GOP conference into chaos before the body finally selected Louisiana U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson to succeed him as House Speaker.
The reaction to Gaetz nomination was greeted with shock in some quarters.
“We warned everyone that Florida was the lab rats for Project 2025, now the entire country will get to experience it first hand. At least the Senate was wise enough to not elect [Rick] Scott as leader,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried on X.
“Mr. Gaetz and I have jousted on certain issues between the House and the Senate. That happens. I haven’t looked at his full body of work and his credentials here, I’ll give him an honest look. …. There’s obviously been a lot of disagreements between members of the Senate and Mr. Gaetz,” North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, a member of Senate Judiciary, told CNN’s Manu Raju. “It’s just a matter of how he works in relationships to actually — you got to have the credentials — but then you got to have the relationships.”
“There’s a lot of folks that would be excellent attorney generals, uphold the rule of law,” Vermont Democratic U.S.Sen. Peter Welch told Politico. “I don’t think Gaetz is on the short list of that group.”
Gaetz has served in public office representing Northwest Florida for the past 14 years, starting as a 26-year-old in the Florida House of Representatives in 2010, when he won a special election. He served there until 2016, when he entered the race for the open Congressional District 1 seat.
Gaetz crushed his Democratic opponents in every congressional election he’s been in, including last week, when he defeated Gay Valimont by a 66%-34% margin. He had been rumored to be considering a run for governor in 2026.
If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Gov. Ron DeSantis will need to select a date for a primary and general election to succeed Gaetz in the First District, considered the most politically conservative of any in the state.