WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he intends to nominate U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz to be the next attorney general of the United States, an unexpected choice as the Florida Republican remains the subject of a congressional ethics investigation over alleged sexual misconduct , illegal drug exploit and accepting inappropriate gifts.
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday evening at the Republican Party’s post-leadership news conference that Gaetz had already resigned from the House.
“I think out of respect for us, he has submitted his resignation to Congress, effective immediately,” Johnson said. “It surprised us a little bit, but I asked him what the reasoning was and he said, ‘Well, you can’t have too many absences.’”
Johnson said Florida law allows eight weeks for the governor to fill a vacancy. He has already called Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is in Italy, and asked him to start implementing that schedule.
“And if we start the clock now, if we do the math, we may be able to fill this seat as soon as January 3, when we take the new oath of office in the new Congress,” Johnson said. “So Matt would have done us a great favor by making that decision like he did on the fly. And that’s why we’re grateful for it.”
The attorney general position requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate, and if confirmed, the four-term congressman and Trump ally would lead the massive U.S. Department of Justice, which the department says oversees more than 40 component organizations and 115,000 employees.
The announcement follows US Special Adviser Jack Smith calms down two federal investigations into Trump – one over an allegation that Trump improperly stored secret government documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after leaving office, and the other stemming from his alleged scheme to thwart the 2020 presidential election. In the notes Justice Department briefings in 1973 and 2000 concluded that criminal prosecution of a sitting president would impair that leader’s ability to serve in office.
Trump first announced his decision to select Gaetz on social media, describing the congressman as “an extraordinarily talented and tenacious attorney, trained at William & Mary College of Law, who has distinguished himself in Congress by focusing on achieving desperately needed market reform at the Department of Justice “.
Revealing the information on Truth Social about 10 minutes before he sent out his transition team’s official statement, the president-elect wrote that Gaetz would “root out systemic corruption at the Department of Justice and return the Department to its true mission of fighting crime and upholding our Democracy and Constitution.” At the Department of Justice, we must be guided by honesty, integrity and transparency. Under Matt’s leadership, all Americans will once again be proud of the Department of Justice.” Trump regularly capitalizes on social media.
Gaetz quickly posted on the X social media platform that, “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!”
Ethics probe
House of Representatives Ethics Committee revealed in June that its ongoing investigation into Gaetz would continue to rely on allegations including the possibility that the lawmaker may have “engaged in sexual misconduct and illegal drug exploit, accepted inappropriate gifts, given special privileges and favors to people with whom he had a personal relationship and sought to obstruct a government investigation into his conduct.”
According to the commission’s June update on the matter, Gaetz “categorically denied all allegations made against the commission.”
The committee’s investigation began in April 2021 and originally included allegations that the lawmaker “gave inappropriate photos or videos on the House floor, unlawfully used state identification documents, converted campaign funds for personal use, and/or accepted a bribe or improper tip.” In June, the commission announced it was no longer pursuing any specific charges.
By June, the panel had interviewed more than a dozen witnesses, issued 25 subpoenas and reviewed thousands of pages of documents related to the Gaetz investigation.
Rep. Michael Guest, chairman of the House Ethics Committee, told reporters Wednesday that if the Senate confirms Gaetz as attorney general, his committee would no longer have jurisdiction over the investigation.
“When we lose jurisdiction, there won’t be a report,” said Guest, a Mississippi Republican elected to Congress in 2019. “It’s not isolated to this case, it’s happened to every new Congress where there are members who are under investigation on ethics and in some cases they either will not run again, they will resign, or they will lose re-election.”
“We will not rush this investigation because of the nomination. We will therefore once again follow the policies and procedures we have established.”
The ethics investigation is expected to end after Gaetz’s resignation, according to Punchbowl News reported that the panel was expected to release a “highly damaging” report in the coming days
Lawmakers surprised
Senators on Capitol Hill, who will have to review and possibly vote to confirm Gaetz, expressed surprise at Trump’s announcement.
Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she expects to consider another option at some point.
“I don’t think this is a serious nomination for attorney general,” Murkowski said. “We need to have a serious attorney general, and I look forward to the opportunity to consider someone who is serious.”
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said she was shocked when she heard the news. She said she and her colleagues would want to question Gaetz.
“Of course, the president has the right to nominate whomever he wants. But I’m sure there will be a lot of questions,” Collins, a Republican, said.
Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn said he didn’t know Gaetz “outside of his public persona,” but said Gaetz would face questions and likely challenges in securing the votes needed for Senate confirmation.
“I’m sure we’ll have a lot of questions, and I’m sure all of these things will come to light,” Cornyn said. “And then the question becomes, can he get 51 votes?”
Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said it’s up to Republicans to doubt whether they will support Gaetz’s nomination because Democrats are unlikely to do so.
“For example, talk to my colleagues to see who would vote for a jerk like that,” Fetterman said.
Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst said Gaetz “has a lot of work ahead of him” and that it will be up to the Judiciary Committee to decide whether to confirm him for the job.
Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio, whom Trump nominated as secretary of state on Wednesday, said he supports the president-elect’s choice.
“I have known Matt for a long time and I think he would do a good job,” Rubio said, adding that he would not comment on the recent ethics complaints against Gaetz.
Democrats on the Judiciary Committee, which will be tasked with holding a hearing on Gaetz’s nomination, such as Cory Booker of New Jersey and Jon Ossoff of Georgia, declined to comment on the matter.
“I literally just walk out of a meeting and hear it,” Booker said. “Give me a minute.”
Wisconsin GOP Sen. Ron Johnson said he honestly “doesn’t know (Gaetz) that well or know his professional qualifications.”
“I know his ability to question witnesses in the chamber,” Johnson said. “I really don’t know his legal background that well. I’ve never really spent much time with him, other than a few meetings, so I just don’t know him that well.
Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, sharply criticized Trump’s selection of Gaetz for the job.
“The Attorney General of the United States must demonstrate sturdy judgment, moral character and a deep respect for the law. As almost all members of Congress know, Matt Gaetz is none of these characteristics. “What unites him is unconditional loyalty to Donald Trump and a willingness to use government as a weapon against his political allies – and that unites him and the president-elect,” Himes, a Democrat from Connecticut, said in a statement.
Ariana Figueroa and Shauneen Miranda contributed to this report.
Last updated at 20:27, November 13, 2024
