WASHINGTON – President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he intends to nominate U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz as 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 illicit sexual conduct Misbehavior includes drug apply and accepting inappropriate gifts.
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday night at a Republican news conference following the leadership election that Gaetz had already submitted a letter of resignation from the House.
“I think out of respect for us, he issued his letter of resignation effective immediately to Congress,” Johnson said. “It surprised us a little, but I asked him why and he said, ‘Well, you can’t have too many absences.'”
According to Johnson, Florida state law allows the governor an eight-week period to fill a vacancy. He has already called Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is in Italy, and asked him to begin that schedule.
“And if we start the clock now, if you do the math, we may be able to fill this seat as early as January 3rd when we take the new oath of office for the new Congress,” Johnson said. “So Matt would have done us a great service if he had made this decision spontaneously. We are grateful for that.”
The attorney general position requires approval from the U.S. Senate, and if confirmed, the four-term congressman and Trump ally would lead the massive U.S. Department of Justice, which oversees more than 40 affiliates and 115,000 employees, according to the department.
The announcement is made by US Special Counsel Jack Smith subsides two federal investigations into Trump — one alleging that Trump improperly stored confidential government documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after he left office, and the other related to his alleged plot to undermine the 2020 presidential election. Justice Department memos from 1973 and 2000 concluded that prosecuting a sitting president would impair his ability to carry out the duties of the office.
Trump first announced his decision to choose Gaetz on social media, describing the congressman as “an extremely gifted and tenacious attorney who was trained at William & Mary College of Law and has distinguished himself in Congress by “Focused on achieving urgently needed reforms.” Department of Justice.”
About 10 minutes before his transition team sent out an official statement, the president-elect posted the information on Truth Social, writing that Gaetz “will root out systemic corruption at the DOJ and return the department to its true mission of fighting crime and upholding our goals.” Democracy and constitution. We must have honesty, integrity and transparency at the DOJ. Under Matt’s leadership, all Americans will once again be proud of the Justice Department.” Trump regularly writes in mixed upper and lower case letters on social media.
Gaetz quickly posted on the social media platform X: “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!”
Ethics Probe
The House Ethics Committee revealed in June that it would continue to pursue allegations as part of its ongoing investigation into Gaetz, including the possibility that the lawmaker “engaged in sexual misconduct and illegal drug use, accepted inappropriate gifts, and granted special privileges to people with whom he had a personal relationship.” granted favors.” and attempted to obstruct government investigations into his conduct.”
Gaetz has “categorically denied all allegations before the committee,” according to the committee’s June update on the matter.
The committee’s investigation began in April 2021 and initially included allegations that lawmakers “shared inappropriate images or videos in the House of Representatives, misused government identification information, converted campaign funds for personal use, and/or accepted bribes or inappropriate tips.” The committee announced in June that it was no longer pursuing these specific allegations.
As of June, the panel had spoken to 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 Gaetz is confirmed as attorney general by the Senate, his committee would no longer have jurisdiction over the investigation.
“Once we lose jurisdiction, no report will be released,” said Guest, a Republican from Mississippi who was elected to Congress in 2019. “That’s not just the case in this case, we have that in every new Congress where there are members who are subject to ethics proceedings, and who in some cases choose not to run again, or they resign or lose re-election.”
“We will not rush this investigation because of the appointment. That’s why we will go back to following the rules and procedures we have established.”
The ethics investigation is expected to be completed following Gaetz’s resignation, according to Punchbowl News reported that the panel would publish an “extremely damaging” report in the coming days
Lawmakers are surprised
Senators on Capitol Hill, who must confirm and potentially vote on 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 he represents a serious nomination for attorney general,” Murkowski said. “We need a serious attorney general and I look forward to the opportunity to consider someone who is serious.”
Senator Susan Collins of Maine said she was shocked when she heard the news. She said she and her colleagues want to question Gaetz.
“Of course the president has the right to nominate whoever he wants. But I’m sure there will be a lot of questions,” said Collins, a Republican.
Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn said he didn’t know Gaetz “other than his public persona,” but said Gaetz would face questions and possibly difficulty getting the votes needed for Senate confirmation.
“I’m sure we’ll have a lot of questions, and I’m sure all of that will come out,” Cornyn said. “And then the question becomes: Can he get 51 votes?”
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said Republicans would be the ones wondering whether they would support Gaetz’s nomination since Democrats probably wouldn’t.
“Talk to my colleagues to find out who will vote for such an idiot,” Fetterman said.
Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst said Gaetz “has a lot of work to do” and that it would be up to the Judiciary Committee to decide whether to confirm him to the post.
Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio, whom Trump nominated as secretary of state on Wednesday, said he supports the president-elect’s choice.
“I’ve known Matt for a long time, I think he would do a good job,” Rubio said, adding that he would not comment further on the recent ethics complaints against Gaetz.
Democrats who sit on the Judiciary Committee that would be tasked with holding a nomination hearing for Gaetz, such as Cory Booker of New Jersey and Jon Ossoff of Georgia, declined to comment on the news.
“I’m literally just walking out of a meeting and I’m hearing this,” Booker said. “Give me a minute.”
Wisconsin Republican 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 House,” 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 times at different meetings, so I just don’t know him that well.”
Rep. Jim Himes, ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, sharply criticized Trump’s choice of Gaetz for the post.
“The Attorney General of the United States must have strong judgment, moral character and a deep respect for the law. As almost every member of Congress knows, Matt Gaetz is having none of it. “What he has is unconditional loyalty to Donald Trump and a willingness to use government as a weapon against his political allies — an affinity he and the president-elect share,” Himes, a Connecticut Democrat, said in a statement.
Ariana Figueroa and Shauneen Miranda contributed to this report.
Last updated on November 13, 2024 at 8:27 p.m
