Donald Trump has tapped GOP Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida for Attorney General, prompting 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 associates were at the center of a sex trafficking investigation carried out by current Attorney General Merrick Garland. Gaetz was ultimately never charged with a crime but remains the subject of a House ethics committee investigation regarding, among other claims, allegations 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 the systemic corruption at DOJ, and return the Department to its true mission of fighting Crime, and upholding our Democracy and Constitution.”
Billionaire Elon Musk, a Trump loyalist and co-chair of the president-elect’s new Department of Government Efficiency, appeared to celebrate the news on X: “The hammer of justice is coming.”
Senator Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat, told The Independent the announcement – released Wednesday afternoon – sounded like a headline in a satire publication. “That was in The Onion,” Welch said.
Other Democrats condemned the announcement in more serious terms, recalling the scandals around the Florida lawmaker.
Fellow Florida Representative Maxwell Frost, a Democrat and the first Gen-Z congressman, voiced his shock on X.
“Holy s***. Trump will nominate Matt Gaetz as Attorney General,” Frost wrote. “The man who was at the center of a sex trafficking probe. God help us.”
Montana State Representative Zooey Zephyr, a Democrat and LGBTQ-rights activist, also condemned the move.
“Matt Gaetz as Attorney General is also unconscionable, given he was under investigation for his role in an underage sex trafficking case,” she wrote on X.
Democrats aren’t the only ones reeling from the decision.
“Are you s****ing me?” Republican Representative Mike Simpson told The Hill when they informed him of the news.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis told reporters on Capitol Hill: “I’m sure it’ll make for a popcorn-eating confirmation.”
Social media users on both sides of the aisle are also expressing their concerns.
“We are not a serious country if the Senate confirms Matt Gaetz to lead the Justice Department,” conservative activist and attorney Heath Mayo posted.
Author Ezra Klein offered his analysis of the situation, noting Trump’s cabinet appointments appear to be a “loyalty test.”
“Demanding Senate Republicans back Gaetz as attorney general and Hegseth as Defense Secretary is the 2024 version of forcing Sean Spicer to say it was the largest inauguration crowd ever,” Klein wrote. “These aren’t just appointments. They’re loyalty tests. The absurdity is the point.”
Others are using humor to cope with the shocking announcement.
“I cannot imagine why someone would vote to confirm Matt Gaetz for host at Red Lobster, never mind Attorney General of the United States,” Jonah Goldberg, editor of The Dispatch, wrote on X.
“Every Trump appointment is like ‘Donald Trump has appointed the Grinch as director of the Department of Christmas,’” another user posted.
Gaetz played a key role in outsing former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy last year, paving the way for current speaker Mike Johnson to take power.
He has previously said he ousted McCarthy because of concerns he violated the “fundamental commitments” he made to become Speaker. Meanwhile, McCarthy has accused Gaetz of doing so out of anger about the House ethics probe against him.