NewsMatt Gaetz, Trump’s uniquely unqualified pick for attorney general, explained

Matt Gaetz, Trump’s uniquely unqualified pick for attorney general, explained

Donald Trump announced that he intends to nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to serve as his attorney general.

Gaetz is a longtime Trump loyalist, who will likely be tasked with remaking the Department of Justice. The department has traditionally adhered to strong norms against interference by the president; Trump and his allies have been explicit in arguing that should change. Trump has also repeatedly called for legal action against his political enemies, including promising to “appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family,” in 2023.

Enforcing those sorts of threats would fall to Gaetz, if he is confirmed by the Senate.

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Before being nominated to be attorney general, Gaetz was probably best known for two things. One is his longstanding feud with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who was eventually ousted in no small part because of Gaetz. The other is the string of sexual misconduct allegations. Gaetz denies these allegations, and the Department of Justice dropped its investigation into them in 2023.

If Gaetz does end up running that same department, he’ll be in a uniquely powerful role. He would be tasked with overseeing all federal prosecutions, providing legal advice to the president and the Cabinet, and would have the final say on any legal stance that the United States takes in court.

Of greater significance perhaps is the fact that Gaetz would have enormous authority over who is prosecuted, who is allowed to get away with committing federal crimes, and who might be targeted for politically motivated prosecutions in an authoritarian administration.

Trump has repeatedly promised “retribution” against his Democratic rivals. And his fellow Republicans on the Supreme Court ruled last July that he can order the Justice Department to bring politically motivated prosecutions without consequence.

In the first Trump administration, Trump reportedly wanted to order the Justice Department to prosecute his former political opponent Hillary Clinton and former FBI director James Comey, but was dissuaded from doing so by White House Counsel Don McGahn. Gaetz’s strong support for Trump, by contrast, makes it seem he’s much less likely to resist such an order.

Just who is Matt Gaetz?

Gaetz has a law degree, and he did previously practice law in northwest Florida. He’s been a representative since 2017, and became known both for stunts on the House floor — like wearing a gas mask to protest masking policies during the coronavirus pandemic — as well as his staunch support for Trump.

The allegations arose out of his relationship with Joel Greenberg, a former county-level tax collector who was sentenced to 11 years in prison by a federal judge in 2022. Greenberg pled guilty to a wide range of crimes,

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