Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress, ending an ethics probe into allegations of sex trafficking, sexual misconduct and drug use after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him for attorney general.
Gaetz’s nomination was one of several Trump made today as he continues to flesh out his second administration, putting an emphasis so far on aides and allies who were his strongest backers during the 2024 campaign.
Meanwhile, Republicans and Democrats are awaiting the outcome of crucial U.S. House races in California, as the GOP is within one win of maintaining control of the chamber next year.
Trump nod to Gaetz bypassed more experienced options in favor of a loyalist who has built a national reputation as a disruptor and whom Trump has tasked with dramatically overhauling the Justice Department.
Trump also announced that he had tapped Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his nominee for secretary of state. And he selected Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic member of Congress and presidential candidate, to serve as his director of national intelligence.
The choices continued a pattern of Trump stocking his Cabinet with those he believes he can trust to execute his agenda rather than longtime officials with experience in their fields. Gaetz’s selection, in particular, was seen as a shock. The Florida lawmaker was not among the more established attorneys who had been mentioned as contenders for the job, and even his colleagues in Congress appeared stunned by the news.
“Everybody was saying, ‘Oh my God,’” said Republican Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho. “That was about as big a surprise as I’ve had in a long time.”
Trump announced the decision in a post in his Truth Social network, saying Gaetz would “root out the systemic corruption at DOJ, and return the Department to its true mission of fighting Crime, and upholding our Democracy and Constitution.”