In picking Rep. Matt Gaetz as his nominee for attorney general, President-elect Donald Trump is looking to install a fierce loyalist who has been seen as divisive even within his own party.
Not one of the top names seen as a likely pick for the job, Gaetz's selection was first pushed out on Trump's social media network instead of a more formal announcement from his transition team as with most of his choices.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said that Gaetz resigned from Congress on Wednesday, meaning that the House Ethics Committee's ongoing probe into allegations against Gaetz of child sex trafficking ends, and no report will be issued.
Here are some things to know about Gaetz.
The House Ethics Committee had been investigating allegations that Gaetz was part of a scheme that led to the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl, a probe that ended Wednesday with Gaetz' resignation from the House.
In June, the committee gave an unusual public update on its review, which it said also included whether Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct.
The committee announced that it was no longer reviewing four other allegations involving the congressman, including that he shared inappropriate images or videos with colleagues on the House floor or that he accepted a bribe or converted campaign funds to personal use.
Gaetz has categorically denied all the allegations, which he has blamed on former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a longtime nemesis, though the probe began before McCarthy and Republicans took the majority in the House.
In 2023, the Justice Department ended a sex trafficking investigation with no charges against Gaetz.
Having just won his fifth term representing much of the Florida Panhandle, Gaetz, 42, has been a frequent defender of Trump on cable news.
He traveled to New York earlier this year when Trump stood trial in his hush money case. He shared a photo of himself and other congressional Republicans standing behind Trump. His caption echoed the language Trump once used to address the extremist Proud Boys: "Standing back, and standing by, Mr. President."
At Trump's June debate with President Joe Biden, Gaetz was front and center in the spin room, talking up Trump's successes. After Biden's exit from the race, Gaetz was among those who helped Trump prepare for his subsequent debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, in which the former president made false claims about Haitian migrants eating people’s pets and other animals — claims that Gaetz, among others, had spread online.
Just hours before Trump announced his nomination, Gaetz wrote a post on X that echoed Trump's frequent claims that he has been unfairly targeted by the justice system.
“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!”
If confirmed as attorney general, Gaetz would have oversight over both agencies.
Gaetz has been a staunch defender of Trump but at times has irked fellow Republicans, including in last year's leadership debate in the House chamber.
In early 2023, Gaetz was among a group of hard-right conservatives to oppose McCarthy's bid for House speakership, forcing McCarthy to wait through 15 ballots of voting before earning the spot. And it was Gaetz who orchestrated the vote that ultimately to McCarthy's ouster.
McCarthy has accused Gaetz of having him pushed out to stop the ethics complaint against him.
Gaetz' House resignation triggers a special election for his House seat — Florida’s 1st Congressional district — which has been in Republican control for nearly 30 years.
Gaetz earned a degree from the William & Mary Law School in 2007, going on to work for a firm in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
The Florida bar briefly suspended his license in 2021 due to unpaid fees, but the association's website on Wednesday listed him as a member in good standing.
Most Republicans dodged direct answers about whether they supported the incoming president’s pick. The GOP will have a 53-seat majority in the new Senate and would be able to rely on Vice President-elect JD Vance to break a 50-50 tie, allowing for a handful of defections.
Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he didn’t know Gaetz “other than his public persona, so we’ll handle it like any other nomination.”
“I’m not going to prejudge any of these,” Cornyn said, suggesting that the Senate look closely into the House Ethics Committee probe.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, also a member of the Judiciary Committee, called Gaetz “a smart, clever guy” but posited that “he’ll have to answer some tough questions in the hearing, and we’ll see how he does.”
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, one of Trump's few Republican critics in Congress, said she was shocked to hear of Gaetz’s nomination, adding that, “I’m sure that there will be many, many questions raised at Mr. Gaetz’s hearing if in fact the nomination goes forward.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, another Trump critic, said that, “as far as I am concerned,” Gaetz was not a serious candidate.
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, appeared to express doubts about the nomination, saying Gaetz will have “his work cut out for him” to win enough votes for confirmation.
“I’m sure it will make for a popcorn-eating confirmation hearing,” Tillis said.
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Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri, Stephen Groves and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington, and Michelle L. Price in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed.
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Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina, and can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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