President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 13 said he’s selecting Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to be attorney general in his second administration.
Gaetz, 42, has represented Florida’s First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017. Since entering politics, Gaetz has aligned himself with Trump’s populist style, often criticizing the political establishment, including within his own party. He often makes common cause with the party’s conservative flank.
“It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!” Gaetz wrote on social media platform X.
Trump praised Gaetz for exposing, as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, details of the investigation fueled by the infamous Steele dossier into Trump’s first campaign for office.
Trump described Gaetz as “a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney ... who has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice.”
The U.S. attorney general position requires Senate confirmation.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La), in response to a question from The Epoch Times at a Nov. 13 press conference, said that Gaetz resigned from Congress after receiving the nomination.
The speaker also praised Gaetz, saying “one of the most intelligent members of Congress.”
Gaetz has called for reform of major components of the department, including the potential abolishment of agencies such as the FBI.
“We ought to have a full court press against this WEAPONIZED government that has been turned against our people,” Gaetz said. “And if that means ABOLISHING every one of the three letter agencies, from the FBI to the ATF, I’m ready to get going!”
During the current Congress, Gaetz served as a prominent member of the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.
While serving on that panel, he often clashed with current Department of Justice and FBI leadership, including a high-profile exchange with Merrick Garland, the current attorney general.
Before entering Congress, Gaetz was already steeped in politics, as his father served as a member of the Florida legislature, including a tenure as president of the Florida Senate. Gaetz later received a law degree from William & Mary Law School and worked as a lawyer. He went on to serve as a Florida state representative until 2016, when he ran for the House seat that he won in his first attempt.
Gaetz was probed by U.S. officials for allegations including sexual misconduct, but no charges were ever brought and his attorneys said the Department of Justice informed them the investigation was over. The House Ethics Committee is still investigating Gaetz, who has denied the allegations, saying he was the target of a set up.
Gaetz was also at the head of a push that ended in House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) ouster from the top job in the House. He based the effort on McCarthy’s use of a stopgap funding bill, but McCarthy has said he believes the effort was due to his refusal to shut down the House Ethics probe.
Should he be confirmed by the Senate, Gaetz will become the fourth person to serve in the capacity of attorney general under Trump.
In 2023, Gaetz filed a resolution that ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from office.
Gaetz’s nomination drew a quick response from members of Congress.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer was positive in his comments to The Epoch Times. “That’ll be great,” he said when asked about Gaetz’s nomination.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican who serves with Gaetz as part of Florida’s congressional delegation, praised the pick on X.
“Gaetz is going to do great things for our country!” she wrote. “He is one of my closest friends in Congress, and we will miss him dearly.”
Gaetz has represented Florida in Congress since 2017 and led the effort to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as House speaker last year.
Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) said Gaetz has “a zero percent shot” of making it through Senate confirmation and that it was “reckless” for President-elect Donald Trump to choose him to serve as AG.
Miller told The Epoch Times he supports Trump’s nominations but that Gaetz has “done nothing productive.”
Another Florida congressman, Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz, described Gaetz on CNN as one of Trump’s “best weapons in Congress.”
“Matt is very good at what Matt does in Congress and now, he’s going to bring that to the attorney general’s office,” Moskowitz said.
At the beginning of Trump’s first term, he selected Jeff Sessions to be attorney general. After Sessions resigned, Matthew Whitaker served in an acting capacity until the Senate approved William Barr.
The current attorney general, Merrick Garland, has been the only attorney general during President Joe Biden’s term. He received 70 votes from the Senate in 2021, including from several Republicans.
Gaetz may face difficulty in being confirmed, however.
Despite incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s (R-S.D.) promise to “do everything we can to process his [nominees] quickly,” Gaetz may be a tough sell in the more establishmentarian upper chamber, where Trump has fewer friends than he does in the House.
With Republicans on track to control 53 seats in the next Congress, along with the tie-breaking vote of Vice President-elect JD Vance, Trump can afford just three defections to confirm Gaetz and other nominees.
Gaetz is the third member of the House of Representatives to be offered a job in the administration so far. Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) have also been tapped for roles.
