President-elect Donald Trump chose GOP Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his Attorney General Wednesday, a move that stunned some legislators in his own party and angered others.
“It is my Great Honor to announce that Congressman Matt Gaetz, of Florida, is hereby nominated to be The Attorney General of the United States,” wrote Trump in an announcement on Truth Social.
“It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!” responded Gaetz on X.
Gaetz, 42, hadn’t been mentioned as being in contention for the powerful spot in the administration; however, he has been a loyal supporter of the 45th president and has been attempting to influence the administration choices being made at Mar-a-Lago.
Other rumored contenders included former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, whom Trump chose Tuesday as his CIA director, GOP Senator Mike Lee of Utah, former acting AG Matt Whitaker, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Several Republican House members meeting on Capitol Hill burst into laughter when the appointment of Gaetz was announced, said a source to the New York Post. Other sources told Politico and The Hill that some in the GOP gasped, while one was seen laughing to the point of tears in a room where members were meeting to choose their leadership team for the 119th Congress.
“Are you s——g me?” Republican Representative Mike Simpson of Idaho said when pressed for his reaction.
The news immediately upset moderate Republicans in the Senate
“I was shocked at the nomination,” said GOP Senator Susan Collins of Maine. “This is why the Senate’s advise and consent process is so important. I’m sure that there will be many, many questions raised at Mr. Gaetz’s hearing.”
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told reporters that selecting Gaetz was “not on my bingo card.”
“We need a serious attorney general,” said Murkowski, adding pointedly, “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to consider somebody that is serious.”
GOP Senator Markwayne Mullin from Oklahoma told CNN that while “I completely trust President Trump’s decision-making on this one,” Gaetz had to “come to the Senate and sell himself.”
One Republican aide anonymously told The Post that many legislators feared expressing their genuine feelings about the Gaetz choice — because they didn’t “want to be on the prosecution list.”
Another Republican aide predicted Gaetz wouldn’t be confirmed by the Republican-led Senate, stating: “This is all a play to become a martyr to boost [Gaetz’s 2026] gubernatorial prospects [in Florida].”
However, even some Democrats came to the defense of the congressman.
He is “fiercely loyal and competent” and “will turn that into being the most powerful attorney general in American history,” said Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz of Florida.
“This is what the American people voted for, right? Moskowitz asked.
Kentucky GOP Representative Thomas Massie told reporters Trump didn’t need the help of Senate Republicans to confirm Gaetz and could directly install the Floridian via a “recess appointment.”
“He’s the attorney general — suck it up,” joked Massie to a crowd of reporters at the House conference meeting, according to CNN footage.
One House Republican aide, Speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Post that many legislators were fearful of expressing their actual feelings about Gaetz’s choice because they didn’t “want to be on the prosecution list.”
Gaetz would replace outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland, who the Trump team has accused of targeting Republicans and who also led a sex-trafficking investigation into the Floridian, which the Department of Justice eventually dropped.
The Florida representative had earned a reputation for being a thorn in the side of his colleagues in the House due to his hard-right stances and opposition to former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, leading to the Californian’s removal from power in October 2023.
The two got into an argument on the floor of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this past summer, with Gaetz trolling McCarthy for not having been able to secure a speaking slot.
The former House Speaker has maintained the firebrand from the Sunshine State and pushed him out for not shutting down a probe by the House Ethics Committee into allegations of underage sexual misconduct and illicit drug use against Gaetz, an investigation that continues to be ongoing.
“[The] person who raised the issue, he’s got an ethics complaint about paying, sleeping with a 17-year-old. That’s the way they would go, so that’s the biggest challenge we have,” said McCarthy to CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins at the RNC, ignoring the taunts from Gaetz.
Gaetz has continued to deny any wrongdoing.
“Matt is a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney, trained at the William & Mary College of Law, who has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice. Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System,” said Trump of Gaetz in the statement.
“Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department,” read the Truth statement. “On the House Judiciary Committee, which performs oversight of DOJ, Matt played a key role in defeating the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, and exposing alarming and systemic Government Corruption and Weaponization. He is a Champion for the Constitution and the Rule of Law.”
