John Fetterman Calls Matt Gaetz Appointment 'God-Tier' Trolling

Senator John Fetterman said Donald Trump tapping U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz for attorney general was "god-tier kind of trolling."

The president-elect announced that he was nominating Gaetz to head the Department of Justice on Wednesday, to the surprise of many on both sides of the political aisle.

Fetterman, a Democratic senator from Pennsylvania, said the pick was a "god-tier kind of trolling, just to trigger a meltdown."

"But really the Dems' opinion on Gaetz, that's not really what's interesting," Fetterman continued. "What to me is interesting is, the good ones (opinions) are gonna come by my colleagues on the other side, the GOP, on how they can justify voting for that j******."

"It's just trolling," Fetterman repeated, before listing what he considered to be "serious appointments."

Fetterman said the same thing in a post on X, writing: "There have been serious, qualified individuals nominated to posts, like [Florida Senator Marco] Rubio or [New York Representative] Elise Stefanik . [Missouri Senator] Eric Schmitt would be a solid choice for AG [attorney general]."

Newsweek has contacted Trump's team and a representative for Gaetz via email outside of working hours, for comment.

Gaetz, who has represented Florida's 1st Congressional District since 2016, has been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations including sexual misconduct. The Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2023 told Gaetz that he would not face federal sex-trafficking charges. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.

Gaetz would replace Attorney General Merrick Garland , whose Department of Justice led criminal investigations against former President Trump, charging him over alleged attempts to overturn his election loss in 2020 and handling of classified documents after leaving the White House. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

Vice President-elect JD Vance pointed to this in his response to Gaetz's nomination, when he said on X: "The main issue with Matt Gaetz is that he used his office to prosecute his political opponents and authorized federal agents to harass parents who were peacefully protesting at school board meetings." "Oh wait," he added. "That's actually Merrick Garland, the current attorney general."

Gaetz, who, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson, has already resigned from Congress , will have to be confirmed by the Senate before he officially has the role.

Some Republicans have expressed doubt over whether this will happen. Maine Senator Susan Collins told Punchbowl News reporter Max Cohen: "I was shocked at the nomination. This is why the Senate's advice and consent process is so important. I'm sure that there will be many, many questions raised at Mr. Gaetz's hearing."

But others have backed the nomination, with Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky telling reporters: "He's the attorney general. Suck it up."