Trump’s choice to lead the Justice Department is baffling

Donald Trump’s nomination of Congressman Matt Gaetz as his attorney general arrived like a thunderclap in Washington DC on Wednesday afternoon.

Of all the choices the president-elect has made for his administration so far, this is by far the most controversial — and sends a clear message that Trump plans to shake up the establishment if he returns to power.

The rabble-rousing Florida politician is perhaps best known for spearheading efforts last year to oust then-Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. But he has a consistent history as a flamethrower in the staid halls of Congress.

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

Due to his bombastic approach, he has no shortage of enemies, including within his own party. And so Trump’s choice of Gaetz for this crucial role also sends a signal to those Republicans: His second administration will be staffed by loyalists he trusts to carry out his agenda, beyond conventional political opinion.

There were gasps at a meeting of Republican lawmakers when the nomination for America’s top U.S. prosecutor was announced, Axios reported, citing sources in the room.

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

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

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

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

“He is a reformer in mind and heart, and I think he will bring a lot to the table in that regard,” Johnson said.

In a post on social media, Trump outlined how he wants to use Gaetz as a wrecking ball to revolutionize the US Justice Department, which he regularly blames for his many legal problems.

“Matt will root out systemic corruption at the Department of Justice and return the department to its true mission: 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 appears Gaetz will be on the front lines of Trump’s efforts to take control of the Justice Department.

The department also investigated Gaetz himself.

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

But on Wednesday evening, Johnson said Gaetz had resigned as an MP, effectively ending the investigation in the House of Representatives as the committee only investigates members.

Gaetz has denied all allegations against him.

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

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

Gaetz, 42, has a law degree and worked for a Florida law firm before his eight years in Congress. Joe Biden’s attorney general, Merrick Garland, was a senior judge on the federal appeals court. Trump chose U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions in his first term, 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. Although his party has a majority, it only takes four “no” votes, joined by a united Democratic opposition, to sink his chances.

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

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

Right now, though, Trump’s closest supporters are celebrating his choice.

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

Regardless of the ultimate outcome of Gaetz’s bid to become attorney general, Trump has fired a warning shot across the bow of the U.S. government. While his second term may be better organized than his first, it could ultimately be even more confrontational.

North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher provides insight into the race for the White House in his biweekly US Election Unspun newsletter. Readers in Britain can sign up here. Those outside Britain can sign up here.