Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz Is Named Donald Trump's Attorney General Pick amid His House Ethics Investigation

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has been nominated for attorney general by President-elect Donald Trump, stunning Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

Gaetz, 42, is one of the most controversial members of the House of Representatives, whose expulsion was once discussed amid a slew of allegations relating to sex trafficking, sexual misconduct with minors and illicit drug use, which he has denied.

He was recently investigated by the Justice Department — which Trump has now tapped him to lead — in a sex trafficking probe, though investigators declined to bring charges. He remains under investigation by the Republican-controlled House Ethics Committee over similar allegations.

Over the past few years Gaetz has been at the center of House GOP infighting, which halted the House numerous times in 2023 and led to a historically unproductive year in Congress.

Gaetz is one of Trump's most vocal allies in Congress, who has repeatedly claimed that the DOJ and FBI are corrupt under President Joe Biden while simultaneously endorsing Trump's rhetoric to seek retribution against his enemies using the same government bodies.

In naming his pick for the nation's top law enforcement officer, Trump told the Florida congressman to "root out the systemic corruption at DOJ."

Gaetz would be one of the least qualified attorney generals in history if his nomination is approved by the Senate. He earned his Juris Doctor from William & Mary Law School in 2007 and briefly worked at a law firm before transitioning to politics in 2010.

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His addition to the Cabinet, combined with rumors that Trump may wipe out career-long civil service workers in federal government, could leave the United States' legal arm without experienced lawyers and open the door for Trump to have unfettered control over the DOJ, which is traditionally insulated from the White House.

Gaetz's nomination will test Republican senators' loyalty to Trump at the start of next year when they are asked to vote on whether to approve him. Though the Senate will be controlled by Republicans in a 53-47 split, he is far from guaranteed to get more than 50 senators on board.