Trump picks Matt Gaetz for AG – Deseret News

President-elect Donald Trump said he's nominated Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to be the U.S. attorney general. The position, which requires confirmation by the Senate, was the job Vice President-elect JD Vance said was most important after president in the Trump administration.

The news came in a Truth Social post on Wednesday afternoon. Gaetz, a Trump ally, wasn't a name floated on some of the short lists .

"Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System," said Trump in his statement. "Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans' badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department."

The Florida congressman graduated from William & Mary Law School and worked in private practice. He first won his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016. He came to Utah earlier this year to campaign for Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs during Staggs' senatorial run. During his time in office, Gaetz was instrumental in ousting former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Gaetz is also the subject of a House Committee on Ethics investigation.

While the committee closed part of its investigation, the committee issued a statement earlier this year saying its investigation raised allegations that Gaetz may have "engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct."

Gaetz has denied the allegations and called it in a smear. In a letter addressed to the chairman of the committee, Gaetz said, "This investigation exists to do what the voters of my district won't — remove me from office." He said he had not used drugs and called the investigation "uncomfortably nosy."

Trump said Gaetz will return the Department of Justice to its mission of fighting crime and he will "root out the systemic corruption at the DOJ."

Gaetz could face difficulties getting confirmed by the Senate, but if he is confirmed, Gaetz would succeed Attorney General Merrick Garland as the leader of a federal agency with more than 100,000 employees.

Reaction to Trump's Matt Gaetz pick Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told Axios she was "shocked" by Trump choosing Gaetz. "This shows why the advice and consent process is so important and I'm sure that there will be a lot of questions raised at his hearing."

Telling The Washington Post he was surprised by the pick (and leans toward supporting presidential appointments), Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said Gaetz will face "tough questions" at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told Samantha-Jo Roth of the Washington Examiner that he thinks Gaetz will do a great job. "The President deserves great deference as a president with a mandate," Rubio said. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also praised Trump's pick.

With a slim majority in the Senate, Sen. Thom Tillis told The Hill that Gaetz will have his work cut out for him. "We're not going to get a single Democrat vote."