US President-elect Donald Trump thanks President Joe Biden for pledging a smooth transfer of power as the victorious Republican makes a historic return visit to the White House.
Donald Trump announced firebrand lawmaker Matt Gaetz as his pick for Attorney General on Wednesday, naming a fierce defender who would be well-placed to make good on the President-elect’s threats of revenge against political foes.
“Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponisation of our JusticeSystem,” Trump posted on social media. “Matt will end Weaponised Government ... and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department.”
Gaetz, a Floridian and a US congressman since 2017, is among Trump’s most controversial nominations as he looks to fill out his Cabinet after victory against Democrat Kamala Harris in last week’s presidential election.
Trump has called for retribution against many perceived political foes whom he baselessly accuses of wielding the might of the Justice Department against him in politically motivated prosecutions.
Gaetz, who denies all wrongdoing, was told last year that there would be no charges against him, but he remains the subject of a House ethics investigation.
US President Joe Biden shakes hands with US President-elect Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC. Photo / AFP
Police began looking at Gaetz as they were investigating his friend, former tax collector Joel Greenberg, who was sentenced in 2022 to a prison term of 11 years after admitting to sex trafficking a minor and other charges.
In September, Gaetz said in a statement he would no longer help congressional investigators, accusing them of leading a “political payback exercise” and calling the probe “uncomfortably nosy”.
Republican and Democratic senators immediately voiced doubts that Gaetz’s nomination would survive the confirmation process, which can involve intense questioning during difficult, fraught hearings.
Gaetz will likely only be able to lose three Republicans and still get the green light from the Senate.
CNN, citing unnamed sources reported that House Republicans were meeting behind closed doors when news of Gaetz’s nomination emerged – prompting “an audible gasp from the members in the room”.
Republican Iowa Senator Joni Ernst said Gaetz would have “his work cut out for him,” according to Scripps News, which also reported that the party’s Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said: “Do you think he’s a serious candidate? Not as far as I’m concerned.”
A third senator from the party’s political middle, Susan Collins, told reporters she was “shocked” by the announcement.
“That shows why the advice and consent process is so important, and I’m sure that there will be a lot of questions raised at his hearing.”
