Donald Trump Picks Matt Gaetz To Lead Justice Department, Sends Shock Waves

Posted by: Eninu William in International Politics November 14, 2024

Donald Trump nominated Congressman Matt Gaetz as his attorney general to lead the justice department. This appointment arrived like a thunderclap in Washington DC on Wednesday afternoon. Of all the president-elect’s picks for his administration so far, this is easily the most controversial.

It sends a clear message that Trump intends to shake up the establishment when he returns to power.

The firebrand Florida politician is perhaps best known for spearheading the effort to unseat then-Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy last year. But he has a consistent history of being a flamethrower in the staid halls of Congress.

In 2018, he brought a right-wing Holocaust denier to the State of the Union. He then later tried to expel two fathers who lost children in a mass shooting from a hearing after they objected to a claim he made about gun control.

His unorthodox approach means he has no shortage of enemies, including within his own party. And so Trump’s choice of Gaetz for this crucial role is a signal to those Republicans, too. His second administration will be staffed by loyalists who he trusts to enact his agenda.

Gasps were heard during a meeting of Republican lawmakers when the nomination for America’s top US prosecutor was announced, Axios reported, citing sources in the room. Republican Congressman Mike Simpson of Idaho reportedly responded with an expletive.

“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general,” Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said. “This one was not on my Bingo card.”

Gaetz does have some allies on Capitol Hill who share an unwavering loyalty to Trump. The Florida lawmaker has been one of the president-elect’s most aggressive and relentless defenders. At congressional hearings, in press conferences and during television appearances, he has been everywhere.

On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, another devoted Trump loyalist, called Gaetz an “accomplished attorney”.

“He’s a reformer in his mind and heart, and I think that he’ll bring a lot to the table on that,” said Johnson.

In a social media post, Donald Trump spelled out how he intends to use Gaetz as a wrecking ball to radically change the US Department of Justice. He has regularly blamed the justice department for his multiple legal troubles.

“Matt will root out the systemic corruption at the DOJ. And return the department to its true mission of fighting crime and upholding our democracy and constitution,” he wrote.

During the campaign, Trump promised retribution for the numerous investigations launched against him. Now, it appears, Gaetz will be at the frontlines of Trump’s efforts to bring the justice department to heel.

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