The appointment of Matt Gaetz as Attorney General is causing immediate backlash in the halls of Congress and in the media
Donald Trump has tapped GOP representative Matt Gaetz of Florida for Attorney General, causing concern and disdain among lawmakers and social media users on both sides of the aisle.
Trump's nomination of Gaetz comes after the lawmaker and his allies are at the center of a sex-trafficking investigation by current Attorney General Merrick Garland. Gaetz was ultimately never charged with a crime but remains the subject of a House ethics committee investigation into, among other allegations, allegations that he had sex with a minor. Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing.
“He is a Champion for the Constitution and the Rule of Law,” Trump wrote in his announcement. “Matt will root out organized corruption at the DOJ, and return the Department to its true mission of fighting crime, and upholding our Democracy and the Constitution.”
Billionaire Elon Musk, a Trump loyalist and co-chairman of the president's new Department of Public Works, appeared to celebrate the news on X: “The hammer of justice is coming.”
Republicans and Democrats alike voiced their disdain for Gaetz, who finds himself at the center of a House ethics probe (AP)
Senator Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat, said The Independent the announcement – released on Wednesday afternoon – sounded like the title of a satirical book. “That was in the middle Onion,” Welch said.
Some Democrats criticized the announcement in more critical terms, recalling the scandals surrounding the Florida legislature.
Fellow Florida representative Maxwell Frost, a Democrat and the first Gen-Z congressman, expressed his shock at X.
“Holy s***.” Trump will nominate Matt Gaetz for Attorney General,” Frost wrote. “A man who was at the center of a sex-trafficking investigation. God help us.”
Fellow Florida Representative Maxwell Frost, a Democrat and the first Gen-Z member of Congress, criticized Gaetz following Donald Trump's announcement (AP)
Montana State Representative Zooey Zephyr, a Democrat and LGBTQ rights activist, also criticized the move.
“Matt Gaetz as Attorney General is also unscrupulous, as he was under investigation for his role in the child trafficking case,” he wrote in X.
Florida party Chairwoman Nikki Fried called Gaetz's nomination “a living nightmare.”
“Donald Trump is invading our country to find any Florida person who is loyal to him, no matter how incompetent, incompetent, or extreme,” Fried said in a statement. “Taking Marco Rubio as Secretary of State and Mike Waltz as National Security Adviser is a big cause for concern, but appointing Matt Gaetz as Attorney General is more than a disaster for the country.”
Democrats are not the only victims of the decision.
Former GOP Representative Joe Walsh of Illinois said The Independent that “no one should be surprised” by Gaetz's nomination.
“F*** 'em,” Walsh said. “This is what America voted for.”
“Are you f**king me? Republican Representative Mike Simpson said The hillwhen they informed him of these matters.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis also told reporters on Capitol Hill: “I'm sure it will make sure you eat popcorn.”
Gaetz is a full-fledged Trump supporter (AP)
Social media users on both sides of the spectrum also voiced their concerns.
“We are not a serious country if the Senate confirms Matt Gaetz to lead the Department of Justice,” said activist and attorney Heath Mayo.
Author Ezra Klein offered his own analysis of the situation, noting Trump's cabinet appointments appear to be “a test of integrity.”
“Demanding Senate Republicans to reinstate Gaetz as attorney general and Hegseth as Secretary of Defense is the 2024 version of forcing Sean Spicer to say it was the biggest mob ever,” Klein wrote. “These are not just appointments. Tests of reliability. The nonsense is the point.”
Some used humor to cope with this shocking announcement.
“I can't imagine why anyone would vote to confirm that Matt Gaetz will hold a position at Red Lobster, never mind the Attorney General of the United States,” wrote Jonah Goldberg, editor of The Dispatch, in X.
“Every Trump nomination is like 'Donald Trump nominated the Grinch to be director of the Christmas Department,'” one user wrote.
Gaetz was instrumental in ousting former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year, paving the way for current Speaker Mike Johnson to take over.
He previously said he fired McCarthy out of concern that he was violating “important commitments” he made to become Speaker. Meanwhile, McCarthy accused Gaetz of doing this out of anger over the House conduct investigation into him.
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