What could be crazier than putting (potentially) notorious anti-vaccines Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in charge of the health of the nation? GOP Congressman Nomination Matt Gaetz to serve as Attorney General of the United States, which Donald Trump did it on Wednesday. And no, this isn't a joke about Trump's second-term advisers; This is something that actually happened.
That's right: A little more than a week after winning re-election, Trump announced that Gaetz, who appears to have practiced law for only a few years between earning his law degree in 2007 and launching his political career in 2010, could become the most powerful lawyer in the country. America will arrive on January 20, 2025. “Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan militarization of our justice system,” Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social. “Matt will end militarized government, protect our borders, dismantle criminal organizations, and restore Americans’ gravely broken faith and trust in the Justice Department,” he continued. Gaetz, a Trump loyalist who revealed in his memoir that he fielded the former president's calls “in the throes of passion,” responded to Trump's remarks: “It will be an honor.”
“But wait,” you might say, “wasn't Gaetz himself the subject of a Justice Department investigation at one point, and isn't he currently under investigation? the subject of an investigation by the ethics committee of the House of Representatives? » And the answer is yes. Yes, he is.
By CNN:
Selection opens the possibility of a provocative confirmation process. If confirmed, Gaetz would take the helm of the nation's top law enforcement agency, the same one that led a years-long sex crimes investigation against the congressman. The Justice Department ultimately decided last year not to pursue criminal charges against him.
The congressman remains under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for sexual misconduct, with the bipartisan committee saying in a rare statement in June that some of the allegations against Gaetz “merit continued review.” . These allegations include that Gaetz “committed sexual misconduct and used illegal drugs, accepted inappropriate gifts, granted special privileges and favors to people with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations into his conduct.” , the committee said. at the time. Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, including having sex with a minor or paying for sex.
In a sign of how wild Gaetz is as a choice for AG, even his fellow Republicans seem in no rush to support him for the job. Republican Representative Don Bacon told CNN of the news: “I really haven't received any good feedback. » Republican Senator from Texas John Cornyn, senior member of the Judiciary Committee, told the outlet: “We will do our job as the Senate, fulfill our function of advice and consent. So we'll take it one day at a time. Asked about the House Ethics investigation into Gaetz, Cornyn said: “I'm sure it will come up. »
