Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., is seen outside the U.S. Capitol after the last votes before the August recess on Thursday, July 25, 2024.
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will nominate Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as U.S. attorney general.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that Gaetz “has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice.”
Gaetz replied on X, “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!”
If he is confirmed by the Senate, Gaetz will succeed Attorney General Merrick Garland, who led the Department of Justice as it carried out a sex-trafficking investigation into the congressman.
The DOJ ultimately declined to charge Gaetz.
Gaetz remains the subject of an ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation into whether he engaged in sexual misconduct or illicit drug use.
Gaetz, who has denied any wrongdoing, said in September that he would no longer voluntarily participate in that panel’s probe.
The 42-year-old lawmaker, who has carved out a reputation as a staunch and vocal Trump loyalist, has aggressively criticized the DOJ investigation and prosecution of Trump by special counsel Jack Smith.
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