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President-elect Donald Trump chose Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general on Wednesday.Gaetz's selection was seen as a shock. The Florida lawmaker was not among the more established attorneys who had been mentioned as contenders for the job, and even his colleagues in Congress appeared stunned by the news.“Everybody was saying, ‘Oh my God,’" said Republican Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho. “That was about as big a surprise as I’ve had in a long time."Trump announced the decision in a post in his Truth Social network, saying Gaetz would “root out the systemic corruption at DOJ, and return the Department to its true mission of fighting Crime, and upholding our Democracy and Constitution.”Who is Matt Gaetz?Gaetz won reelection to U.S. House in Florida’s 1st Congressional District last week.He represents much of the Florida Panhandle and became a conservative star when he joined Congress, appearing as a frequent staunch defender of Trump on cable news.He irked fellow GOP members in early 2023 when he filed the resolution that successfully ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy then helped fund a primary challenge to Gaetz that included commercials alleging that he paid for sex with a 17-year-old, an allegation currently investigated by the House Ethics Committee. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and the Justice Department ended its own sex trafficking investigation without bringing charges against him.In May, Gaetz evoked language adopted by the far-right Proud Boys extremist group as he appeared in court to support Trump at his hush money trial.“Standing back, and standing by, Mr. President,” Gaetz wrote as he posted a photo on social media of him with other congressional Republicans standing behind Trump in a hallway outside the courtroom where the former president’s felony case took place.The Proud Boys — whose leaders were convicted of seditious conspiracy after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol — have used that verbiage since Trump, during a 2020 campaign debate, said: “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by.”
President-elect Donald Trump chose Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general on Wednesday.
Gaetz's selection was seen as a shock. The Florida lawmaker was not among the more established attorneys who had been mentioned as contenders for the job, and even his colleagues in Congress appeared stunned by the news.
“Everybody was saying, ‘Oh my God,’" said Republican Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho. “That was about as big a surprise as I’ve had in a long time."
Trump announced the decision in a post in his Truth Social network, saying Gaetz would “root out the systemic corruption at DOJ, and return the Department to its true mission of fighting Crime, and upholding our Democracy and Constitution.”
Who is Matt Gaetz?
Gaetz won reelection to U.S. House in Florida’s 1st Congressional District last week.
He represents much of the Florida Panhandle and became a conservative star when he joined Congress, appearing as a frequent staunch defender of Trump on cable news.
He irked fellow GOP members in early 2023 when he filed the resolution that successfully ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy then helped fund a primary challenge to Gaetz that included commercials alleging that he paid for sex with a 17-year-old, an allegation currently investigated by the House Ethics Committee.
Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and the Justice Department ended its own sex trafficking investigation without bringing charges against him.
In May, Gaetz evoked language adopted by the far-right Proud Boys extremist group as he appeared in court to support Trump at his hush money trial.
“Standing back, and standing by, Mr. President,” Gaetz wrote as he posted a photo on social media of him with other congressional Republicans standing behind Trump in a hallway outside the courtroom where the former president’s felony case took place.
The Proud Boys — whose leaders were convicted of seditious conspiracy after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol — have used that verbiage since Trump, during a 2020 campaign debate, said: “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by.”
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