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2021 was when Rep. Matt Gaetz became something more than just a random, Butthead-looking Florida congressman. His first whiff of national fame was when he suddenly produced an “adopted” Cuban son and claimed that he’d raised the then-19-year-old since Nestor was 12. That was when people began paying more attention to Gaetz in general, and as it turns out, the guy is unsurprisingly a massive sleaze. He’s been under federal investigation and the subject of a House Ethics inquiry for multiple, credible reports of statutory rape, human trafficking and abuse. Then he popped up at the RNC over the summer, full of Botox and shrieking the MAGA talking points. Well, Donald Trump wants Gaetz to be the next Attorney General.
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general.
“Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System,” Trump wrote Wednesday in a post on his Truth Social platform. “Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department.”
Gaetz said in a post on X that it would “be an honor to serve” in the role.
The congressman remains under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for sexual misconduct, with the bipartisan committee saying in a rare statement in June that some of the allegations against Gaetz “merit continued review.” Being probed are allegations that Gaetz may have “engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct,” the committee said at the time.
Honestly, though… what did you guys expect? It’s awful, tacky, criminal and appalling. It’s also completely on-brand for Donald Trump. I’m surprised the AG pick wasn’t a lot worse, truly. Trump could have dusted off Rudy Giuliani or made one of his unhinged personal lawyers the AG. A really weird thing is that Trump got Republican majorities in the House and Senate, and he keeps choosing sitting senators and representatives for his administration. Anyway, there’s a lot of talk about how Senate Republicans are balking and how they might not even be able to confirm Gaetz. Hilariously, I don’t think it will matter.
Interestingly enough, Gaetz resigned from Congress just hours after Trump’s announcement, so clearly he’s not worried about making it through Senate confirmation hearings. Soon after he resigned, the House Ethics Committee said that they were just days away from releasing their years-long inquiry into Gaetz’s many crimes.
Hope it's wrong, but I'm hearing through the grapevine about this bonkers plan: Trump would adjourn both Houses of Congress under Article II, section 3, and then recess-appoint his Cabinet.
— Ed Whelan (@EdWhelanEPPC) November 13, 2024
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and YouTube.
United States Representative Matt Gaetz (Republican of Florida), speaks during an Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee hearing, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, July 29, 2020, on “Online platforms and market power. Examining the dominance of Amazon, Facebook, Google and Apple”
Credit: Graeme Jennings / Pool via CNP | usage worldwide,Image: 563529598, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: UK and US ONLY – DIRECT SALES ONLY – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Graeme Jennings / DPA Picture Alliance / Avalon
United States Representative Matt Gaetz (Republican of Florida) questions U.S. Attorney General William Barr during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on July 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. In his first congressional testimony in more than a year, Barr faced questions from the committee about his deployment of federal law enforcement agents to Portland, Oregon, and other cities in response to Black Lives Matter protests; his role in using federal agents to violently clear protesters from Lafayette Square near the White House last month before a photo opportunity for President Donald Trump in front of a church; his intervention in court cases involving Trump’s allies Roger Stone and Michael Flynn; and other issues.
Credit: Chip Somodevilla / Pool via CNP | usage worldwide,Image: 563538116, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: UK and US ONLY – DIRECT SALES ONLY – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chip Somodevilla / DPA Picture Alliance / Avalon
United States Representative Matt Gaetz (Republican of Florida) disagrees with remarks by US Representative Cedric Richmond (Democrat of Louisiana) during the House Judiciary Committee markup of H.R. 7120, the “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020,” on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Wednesday, June 17, 2020. The bill reforms policing in the United States, including provisions to stop police misconduct, and the use of excessive force.
Credit: Kevin Dietsch / Pool via CNP | usage worldwide
